


Jasmine Flower

by Diamond_of_the_Merthur



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Astral Projection, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Black Paladin Keith (Voltron), Coma, Denial of Feelings, Emotional Hurt, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Escape, F/F, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Galra Keith (Voltron), Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, Love Confessions, Love at First Sight, M/M, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pansexual Hunk (Voltron), Past Abuse, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Shiro (Voltron), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Prison, Prison Sex, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rejection, Reunions, Sexual Content, Sexual Slavery, Slow Burn, Soulmates, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), True Love, let Shiro rest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2018-11-07 22:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 22
Words: 139,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11068386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diamond_of_the_Merthur/pseuds/Diamond_of_the_Merthur
Summary: "Where are you from?" Kilit asked, Shiro looked down at him confused. "Where are you from? What's your home planet?" he asked."E-Earth" he said slowly, Kilit's eyes widened and his ears perked. "From Terra? You're from Terra!" he whispered excitedly. Shiro nodded, "it's a lovely planet, it's full of bad and good people but it's home and I miss it."Shiro's been stuck on the Galra ship for god knows how long, he's been forced to fight as a gladiator in a arena, it's either kill or be killed; now for so long after killing so many creatures Shiro's tired. He's tired of fighting, he's tired of killing, he just wants everything to end.Then a whore shows up, a really pretty whore who goes by the name of Kilit. Shiro found hope to survive, now all he has to do is escape.---





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this idea has been running around my head for months! like legit months, after they mad Galra Keith canon is when this idea popped up and I'm so stoked to finally write it!

Shiro never in his whole life would imagine that this is how his life would end up, he would always imagine himself living back home in natori with his parents, but this was this a whole another level.

"You'll survive" Sendak said tossing him back in his cell, Shiro groaned when his hands scrapped along the gravel flooring, bits of small rock pieces had themselves into his open wounds, Sendak shut the cell behind him and walked off. Shiro crawled over to to the corner and did his best to dig out the rocks, he used what was left of his shirt to wrap around his wounded hands and wipe off the excess blood leaking from his open wounds.

It wasn't long before they had sent someone over to make sure Shiro's wounds have been cleaned up and bring him a new set of clothes, a full one piece purple suit along with a lighter purple over shirt.

The alien who was currently in the cell wasn't a Galra but a weird looking sloth creature, it was almost as big as Shiro with tow rows of arms and four fingers, it's fur was a hellish red with pink fleshy scars that adorned it's body.

Shiro didn't say anything, not even a _thank you_ as it patched him up, if the creature was working with the Galra then he was just as bad. The alien left and Shiro was left alone again with only his thoughts to occupy him. Shiro knew there was a rare chance of him surviving and heading home, he knew that if the universe did give him that small chance, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life for leaving Matt and Dr. Holt here. Shiro thought about ending his life many times, everyone at home probably thought he was dead so might as well make it come true, he was tired of fighting, tired of surviving, and just tired of even breathing, he wanted it all to end.

There were approaching footsteps and Shiro tensed, he glared over towards the cell and curled his lips when Sendak appeared with a smirk on his alien face, beside Sendak was a smaller creature much smaller then any other Galra on this ship and probably even smaller then Shiro, the creatures head was bowed and his arm was in a tight grasp in Sendak's clawed hand.

"Prince Lotor had watched your battle this morning, he was impressed and brought a gift for you, he excepts his gift to be _well used_ by the time it's time for his return," Sendak sneered and opened the cell, he shoved in the creature who stumbled from the push and fell to his knees a few feet away from Shiro, Sendak shut the door and walked away.

Shiro eyed the creature cautiously who was still in his curled up on his knees, slightly shaking from the cold. Shiro tensed when the creature shifted and finally looked up at Shiro with glowing yellow eyes, Shiro sucked in a breath and waited for the Galra to attack but he didn't, he just slowly dropped his head down to the gravel floor, Shiro took the opportunity to study the Galra.

He had the same color of skin like most of the Galra, deep purple skin with large furry ears that jutted out of his black hair on his head, he was wearing what looked like a white tunic, flimsy and almost transparent, on his ankles were golden chains that jingled whenever he shifted, his hands were adorned with golden bands and a similar one around his left bicep, the straps of his tunic fell over his shoulder, he was also wearing a thin golden chain circlet around his head with a single red jewel that hung onto the middle of his forehead, those eerie golden eyes glowed in the dark.

"You're supposed to be a gift?" Shiro asked, the Galra shifted his eyes to the side before he answered, "I did not except you to be that dumb Champion" the Galra whispered, he had a husky tone and it surprisingly sent shivers down Shiro's back, be it a good or bad way he didn't know.

"What'd you mean?" Shiro asked tensely, the Galra looked up at him and glared, the familiar look of every Galra that Shiro had seen was back. "I'm Prince Lotor's whore and he gave me to you, what do you except what kind of Gift I would be" he snarled. Shiro tensed and he shook his head, "no-no I can't possibly use you like that."

"But you must!" the Galra insisted leaning forward with his clawed hands on his knees, Shiro glared at him. "If you are my gift then it's going to be my choice or not, I'd rather not fuck a creature that put me and my friends through so much torture" Shiro said coldly, the Galra's ears dropped and his lips quivered, "if you do not use me then the Prince will kill me" he said queitly.

Shiro wavered for a second before shrugging, "I'm sure you killed other poor defenseless lives before, so it's what you deserve" he said looking away and crossing his arms, it was quiet for a second before Shiro felt a sudden pain on his temple and he looked up quickly, the Galra was standing with his chest heaving, there was a rock next to Shiro's feet and he realized that the Galra threw a rock at him. 

"I'm treated like the lowest of the low, I have no voice, no opinion, I have nothing living for except for my pride as a Galra, I'm a whore do you honestly think I don't feel as any other low treated prisoners here" the Galra hissed.

Shiro stared up at him, then reached up to feel his temple; he pulled away and winced at the sight of blood on his finger tips. The Galra slumped back down to his feet, "if you do not use me then the Prince Lotor will make every single male Galra on this ship me nonstop as they will then kill me" he said quietly, "I would rather want to go through that pain. So I'm begging you."

Shiro didn't say anything and the Galra took that his answer and moved over to the corner till Sendak came back for him. Shiro did his best not to look over at the Galra often but he was curious, he didn't look vicious, he didn't look blood thirsty; instead the Galra looked just as lost as he.

"How did you become a whore?" Shiro asked from his side, the Galra ran his claws along the sandy gravel. "I was born a whore" he answered quietly, it wasn't the answer Shiro was looking for so he stayed quiet, they stayed quiet for a long time until finally Sendak sauntered back in the dark dingy cell room.

"Looks like he wasn't used properly" Sendak teased, he smirked at the whore who glared back up, his eyes filled with such rage that it reminded Shiro of every other Galra. "I guess you have another purpose to fulfill tonight" Sendak said reaching down to yank the Galra up by his arm.

"Let go off me!" the Galra hissed yanking his arm free, Sendak growled and sunk his claws into the Galra's arm, black blood dripped down from the punctures and fell to the floor silently. "You will listen to me whore, don't forget your place!" Sendak snarled.

The Galra hissed back and spat on Sendak's cheek, "do not test me!" he roared and slammed his back hand on the small Galra, making him stumble back and hit the wall. Shiro stood up and instantly placed himself between the Galra and Sendak, "leave him" he said sternly.

Sendak lips curled and a low growl rose from the back of his throat, "you already made your choice Champion, the whore now belongs to us now" he said. Shiro narrowed his eyes, "well I changed my mind now and I'm sure your prince won't mind" he said, Sendak stared at him and Shiro didn't back down.

Sendak snorted and stormed off, the cell door slamming behind him.

Shiro looked behind him at the Galra who was wiping away the blood from his lip onto his tunic, "are you okay?" he asked. The Galra glared up at him, "why did you change your mind?" he asked stiffly.

Shiro shrugged, "I'm not sure" he said helplessly, "well now you have to bed me" the Galra said. Shiro knelt down in front of him and scratched his cheek, "well can't you say that I used you" he said awkwardly.

The Galra snorted and sat up with his back against the rock wall, "you really are dumb" he stated then he used his hand to shove Shiro back who fell on his ass. Shiro's face flushed when the Galra climbed into his lap and scrapped his claws gently down his shaved head, "just imagine someone from back home" he whispered leaning into nibble on Shiro's ear.

"I-uh don't have anyone from back home" Shiro squeaked, he stiffed a moan when the Galra's pointed fangs scrapped the curve of his ear. "Then I guess you are stuck with me" he whispered pushing him back until Shiro fell on his back with the Galra sitting promptly on his hard on.

"Hmm...it feels smaller then any other Galra I have been with" he murmured moving back so he was kneeling between Shiro's spread legs. Shiro himself flushed and glared at the Galra who smirked up at him, "did I insult you" he teased.

"What's your name?" Shiro asked instead, the Galra blinked and tilted his head. "I...why?" he asked cautiously.

"So I know what to call you"

"Everyone on this ship calls me whore, is that not enough?"

"Listen, you may be a Galra but being called a whore all the time must be a annoying and hurtful so can I have your name. My names Shiro if your wondering."

The Galra was quiet for a really long time and Shiro waited patiently.

"I..."

"If you don't want to tell me your name then give me a name to call you by" Shiro said calmly, when he saw the conflicted look on the Galra's face, "you can call me Kilit" he said. Shiro tired to say his name but he ended up butchering it. "You have to end it in a nasal tone" Kilit said showing him, Shiro sighed and rested his head on the ground.

"This is stupid"

"You are...stupid" Kilit said, Shiro lips twitched and he sat back up, Kilit moving out of the way so Shiro could sit on his small cot, Kilit moved and went to climb on Shiro's lap and placing his hands on Shiro's shoulders, "you are much more stronger then you first arrived" he whispered. Shiro didn't answer him but brought his hands down to grasp Kilit's hips tightly bring him closer.

"I saw your fight today" Kilit murmured running his hands along Shiro's broad shoulders, Shiro brought his hand up and ran his thumb along Kilit's plump bottom lip, "so strong" Kilit murmured tilting his head to the side to show his submission.

Shiro gulped and ran his hand the side of Kilit's neck and his thumb tracing the delicate purple skin of his throat, Shiro leaned in and nuzzled his nose against Kilit's neck and inhaled the sweet scent of his skin. "You can mark me" Kilit whispered, leaning down to kiss the sensitive skin behind his ear.

Shiro gently kissed his way up Kilit's neck while his hand went further down and pressed his thumb against the pert nipple beneath the flimsy fabric, Kilit arched him into and Shiro slipped his under Kilit's flimsy tunic and run his fingernails down his sensitive body, Kilit shifted from his spot on Shiro's lap, his anklets jingling from the movement.

"You're dressed pretty for a whore" Shiro murmured running his fingers slowly along the taut muscles of Kilit's stomach, "whores can not be pretty?" Kilit teased wrapping his arms around Shiro's neck. "You're pretty even for a Galra" Shiro said, Kilit laughed and it was probably the first time Shiro had seen him show another emotion besides anger.

"Do you really think so" Kilit whispered, he gasped when Shiro kissed under his chin. "Very pretty" Shiro said softly, squeezing Kilit's thick thighs; Shiro had no idea why he saying such things but it was the truth, under the flames of the dingy cell room, Kilit was rather ethereal.

Shiro's hands traveled from Kilit's thighs to his plump bottom giving it a rough squeeze. Kilit hissed and moved away from his lap and settled himself on his knees in front of Shiro. He watched as Kilit used one of his claw to rip a hole in his suit near his cock, "careful" Shiro hissed as Kilit ripped a bigger hole enough for his cock to pop out.

Despite the situation of wanting to fuck the Galra, Shiro did not trust those fangs near his cock, so he grasped Kilit by his underarms and lifted him up so he was laying on the small cot while Shiro was hovering above him, he brought his fingers to suck on them, he made them wet enough before bringing them down to press against Kilit's hole.

"It'll hurt if I don't stretch you besides it's pretty dry down here" Shiro said circling his finger against the puckered skin, Kilit shut his eyes and whimpered.

"Does it hurt? Do you want me to stop?" Shiro asked, Kilit shook his head "if you stop then who's going to bed me."

Shiro cleared his throat and pressed a finger in and Kilit clenched his fist, "you need to relax" Shiro said, "this would be so much easier if you just bed me, not waste my time" Kilit growled but took a deep breath to relax himself, Shiro pushed his finger all the way in and brought it back out, Shiro made sure to rub the pad of his finger along the soft inner walls. Kilit bit his lip and clenched his stomach.

"I'm going to add another finger," Shiro said while pressing the other finger inside. "Why are you telling me, just do it" Kilit growled, Shiro ignored him and pushed his fingers in and out of Kilit, his other hand went to stock Kilit's cock.

"W-why are you touching me like this?" Kilit gasped, trying not to jerk his hips. "Making you feel good." Shiro said then spread his fingers to stretch out Kilit's hole.

Kilit whimpered and spread his legs wider, Shiro looked down when he felt liquid on his fingers; there was a steady flow of clear liquid coming out of Kilit's hole, "you have self lubrication?" Shiro asked pulling out, his lips twitching when he felt Kilit's muscle clench around his fingers.

"I was aware of that" Kilit gasped, Shiro pulled Kilit down closer to him and used on hand to press his cock against Kilit's wet hole. "Ready?" Shiro asked, Kilit groaned and glared at him "hurry up before Sendak returns" he growled.

Shiro didn't waste any more time and slowly pressed in fully, Kilit hissed and glared up at him. "Do your kind always have such thick male parts" he growled. Shiro tilted his head, "not really everyone different, besides you have a similar looking cock like _my kind_ though it is a bit smaller" Shiro said.

Shiro watched as a dark purple hue spread across Kilit's cheeks and his eyes widened. "Shut up" Kilit hissed and reached up to grasp onto Shiro's broad shoulders, he didn't fully sink his nails into it but he did leave small marks, there was a heat in his belly that usually wasn't there, Kilit let out a high pitched moan and clamped his thighs around Shiro's hips, the vicious thrust from the champion had him moving up and down on the cot, there was a light sheen of sweat on their bodies, Kilit clenched down just as Shiro pulled out.

"Fuck!" Shiro gasped reaching forward and pressing a fist down next to Kilit's head, "harder" Kilit moaned when he felt Shiro's cock press against something in him, he let out another moan and threw his head back, Shiro huffed a laugh and cupped Kilit's sweaty cheeks, the circlet on his head was close to falling off, the chain getting tangled in his long inky black hair.

Shiro pressed a thumb into Kilit's mouth and groaned when Kilit's small mouth eagerly closed around the thumb and sucked, his sharp tongue lapping at the finger. Shiro used his other hand to grasp onto Kilit's slim waist and press down his thumb on his stomach, Kilit moaned and clenched his lower body.

The heat was building along with the pleasure, Kilit hadn't realized when he had both of his arms wrapped tightly around the Champion's neck, his fingers curled tightly in Shiro's short hair. Shiro did another thrust and Kilit arched his back, his chest pressing up against's Shiro's. "Please-please!" Kilit whined in his ear, hot heavy breaths following after.

Shiro used one hand to press against Kilit's back bringing him closer to his chest while other other played with Kilit's cock.

 _"More~"_  Kilit moaned, the voice sweet in his ear. Shiro grunted and pressed a thumb down onto Kilit's cockhead and did one last thrust before cumming, his body jerking in short spasm from the intense pleasure.

Kilit let out a silent cry and his eyes rolled at the back his head as he came, Shiro willed himself to release Kilit and sit back on his knees so he wouldn't crush the Galra, there was hiss from Shiro when he pulled out his limp cock from Kilit, thick white liquid oozed right out of Kilit's loose puckered hole. Kilit himself was out of it, his body twitching, his eyes were closed and he was panting as if he ran for so long, there were tear marks down his purple face, his circlet was tangled in his hair, his tunic was ripped and pulled up to his chin, Kilit's chest on display with cum over his twitching chest,  his anklet's jingled when they fell from Shiro's hips and lay splayed out in front of him.

"Hey..." Shiro called patting the weak Galra on the thigh, there was a soft moan from Kilit and he drowsily opened his eyes, the usual fierce yellows eyes didn't look so fierce anymore; instead of their usual piercing yellow it was more of a soft yellow now, peeking at him through his thick black lashes.

"It was not supposed to be like that" Kilit murmured, his voice barely a whisper. Shiro laughed weakly, "was it bad?" he asked softly, he had no idea why they were whispering but Kilit's small laugh broke him out of his thoughts.

"Not really, more exceptional then ever" he said then shut his eyes back again, his lashes creating a half moon that reminded Shiro that he hasn't seen the sky in months. "Sendak should be returning soon" Shiro said, and with that it woke up the Galra.

"Oh, right" he said pulling away then hissing at the sudden pain in his back, he glared at the Champion and scooted off the bed, his legs were wobbling and Shiro's liquid were dripping down his soft purple legs.

"Do you need any help?" Shiro offered awkwardly, the Galra snorted and de-tangled his circlet from his hair, it took a few moments but he got it and he smoothed down his hair before placing it back on his head.

"I should get going now, don't want Sendak bothering you" Kilit said turning around and giving Shiro a hesitant smile, it was the first time Shiro's seen a Galra smile, not an evil smile but a genuine almost sweet smile.

"I-I guess so" Shiro stuttered, Kilit nodded and a took a deep breath before wiping the smile off his face and walked towards the cell door, he brought up his leg and took one of his anklets off and there one the anklet was a small key that Kilit used to open the cell door.

"W-wait!" Shiro called rushing forward but the chain around his neck stopped him from going further, Kilit turned around and looked at Shiro confused. "Can I-um Do I- Is there a way we can see each other again" Shiro stuttered out.

Kilit frowned and he placed on clawed hand on the cold cell bars and peered at him, "why on earth would you want to see me again?" he asked then his ears perked, "oh for sex?" he asked. Shiro flushed and quickly shook his head, "uh not really-just to talk ya know" he said.

"Talking-"

There was a loud bang upstairs and Kilit frowned his ears flattening against his head, he turned back to Shiro who was waiting for his answer, "I-I have to go now" he said quickly shutting the cell door and locking it up, Kilit quickly ran down the hall and up the stairs just as Sendak opened the door.

"Che-So he did use you" Sendak snarled, his upper lip curling in disgust. Kilit his bowed and moved past Sendak, "You are leaving a trail of his seed!" Sendak taunted but Kilit ignored him and continued on his way to the servants bath, he took off his rags and jewelry before sighing in relief in the warm pink water that lapped at his skin.

"Was he brutal?"

Kilit looked over at the timid servant, a servant that they captured from a lone planet they conquered ages ago, a Wiznark. A creature with pale skin like the moon, longs limbs and three stumped fingers and toes, ears long and floppy that reached the floor, their two pink large eyes were made from seeing the dark and sensing on coming danger, as powerful as they were, they were rather weak and on the bottom of the empire, even a few high Altean's treated them badly when they were alive.

Whores and Wiznarks were on the same level. 

"No..He was rather gentle" Kilit murmured his hands playing in the water, "he looks like he could break you in half" the servant murmured then whimpered when Kilit glared at him, "well he did not!" Kilit growled.

The servant had crouched down and used his loppy hears to cover his small body, he was trembling. Kilit sighed flicked a few droplets of water on him, his ears twitching against the water.

"I'm did not mean to yell, I apologize" Kilit said grumpily, the servant peeked his furry head over his ears and nodded before standing up and grabbing the towels he dropped and ran off. Kilit tilted his head back and frowned, Shiro could have easily killed him but he didn't.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey-O! I'm back, I know sorry for taking so long! *cries*

"Kneel whore" Prince Lotor demanding, he yanked on the golden chain that was attached to a golden collar around Kilit's neck, he slumped down on his knees and his ears perked up when he saw Shiro on the battle field, he looked worn out, tired and just about looked ready to give up but there was a small bit of hope left in him--everyone saw.

"Send out the beast!" Prince Lotor shouted, there was a roar from the crowed and the gates slowly hissed opened and out came a huge monsterous beast walking on all four, his body covered his thick white fur, pink scars littered body, there was a jagged pink scar on his left eye that blinded him, he was missing a tusk but he was strong and very powerful.

"They sent out a Ourix? I'm surprise they took so long, probably hoping to weaken his hope and kill him. Hopefully, I'm getting tired of seeing him win" Lotor said then reached down to ran his hand in Kilit's hair, "what do you think pet? should the Ourix kill him?" he asked.

Kilit didn't look up from the battlefield but tilted his head towards Lotor's hand that were currently running through his hair. "Whatever you think master" he said, Lotor laughed and tightened his grip on Kilit's hair making him wince.

"Let's see...if he wins, he can have you for the night. It will be a lovely reward for killing our precious Ourix; however only a few had stood a chance against the beast; let us see if does as well" Lotor said then smirked when the Ourix used his blunt tux to shove the Champion across the field, his screams of pain made the roars of the audience louder.

Kilit watched carefully as Shiro shakily stood back on his feet, but there was no hope left. Ourix was too strong and had been in many fights there was no way Shiro was going to win.

_Pleasepleasepleaseplease_

Kilit was tense and his fingers were tapping nervously against his tunic. Kilit winced when Shiro was thrown yet again across the sandy floor. Kilit shut his eyes when the Ourix reared his head and Shiro still hadn't gotten up, he was motionless on the floor, his body facing away from the crowd.

Kilit heard the thunderous footfalls of the Ourix racing towards Shiro's body, there was a loud thud and the impact shook the stadium, there was a sudden uproar from the crowd and Kilit peeked his eyes open and his heart leaped when he saw Shiro staggering away from beast who had rammed his head into the stadium which was the cause of the shake.

Kilit perked up and placed his claws on the railing and leaned in close as Shiro drew back his weapon he ran forward just in time for the Ourix to get up and shake his head. Shiro slid under the Ourix and used the sharp weapon to slice along the belly of the beast.

There was another uproar when the Ourix started dripping heaping full of blood all over the sand. Kilit pressed closer against the railing and stood lighter on his knees so he could watch Shiro.

The confused and angered Ourix shook his head and let out a long moan that left the stadium in silence. They watched eagerly as the Ourix charged forward again, this time Shiro used the boulder beside him to dodge the hit and jump on top of the Ourix, the Galra started shouting curses at the champion but they all watched as Shiro slammed the sharp weapon at the back of Ourix's back, Shiro pulled out the weapon and slammed it back in again.

The Ourix was going wild now, slamming his body along the edges of the stadium making it shake with ever hit, finally it slowed down and slumped down on his knees; there was a heavy white liquid coming out of his mouth as he panted harshly, Shiro did one last blow at the top of the head and Ourix went down completely, his body stopped moving and the blood oozed down from his white fur staining it red and dripping heavily on the sandy floor.

Shiro climbed off the beast and fell to his knees and wept, Kilit's heart clenched as the champion publicly cried. There was a harsh tug and Kilit fell back down to his knees, his fingers curling into fist in his tunic.

This was wrong. It was so wrong.

"Let's go pet" Lotor said calmly, Kilit got up to knees and waited for Lotor to stand, before they left the standium, Kilit turned around to look at the champion one last time. It was still crying and two Galra soldiers had to drag him off the stadium so they could clean up the mess.

Kilit turned back around and silently followed his master to his bedroom, he dutifully knelt on the foot of the bed waiting for Lotor's next order, "well I did say he would use you if he wins and it looks like I'll be needing a new Ourix, so I'll have Sendak bring you down to him" Lotor said changing out his clothes and into his armor.

It wasn't long before Sendak arrived and he took the chain and roughly dragged Kilit down the to the prisoner cells. Kilit looked helplessly at Shiro who was sitting on his cot with his head hung low between his knees. Sendak unlocked the collar around Kilit's neck and roughly tossed him inside.

Kilit landed on the sand and he glared up at Sendak who ignored him and locked the door before leaving the cells, Kilit sat up and looked over his shoulder at Shiro who didn't acknowledge him, Kilit slowly crawled over to him and placed a hesitant hand on his knee.

Shiro tensed but didn't move, Kilit scooted closer so he was sitting between Shiro's knees and brought up his hands to cup at his tear stained cheeks, "I'm sorry" he said quietly. There was nothing else he could, Shiro laughed weakly and shoved Kilit's hands away from him and look at the cell wall.

"Sorry for what, sorry for having such a horrible race, I should kill you, I should kill for the all the pain you've cause me" Shiro growled, he turned back around and glared at Kilit who was still waiting on his knees for Shiro, those storm cloud eyes flashes with such anger that it scared Kilit but he didn't back down from the stare.

"Why are you hesitating then?" Kilit asked softly, Shiro stared at him then reached out to press a knuckle against the soft purple skin, "you haven't done anything to me. The first Galra who's apologized for causing me such pain." he said, Kilit let out a shaky sigh. "I could easily be deceiving you" Kilit said pushing his luck.

"I'm a good judge of character" Shiro shot back and laughed weakly, he pulled his hand away and stared up at the rotting ceiling. Kilit tried not to whine, it was the first time he felt affection and he was craving more, he pushed his luck again and rested his chin on Shiro's knee and wrap Shiro's leg in a hug.

"Where are you from?" Kilit asked, Shiro looked down at him confused. "Where are you from? What's your home planet?" he asked again.

"E-Earth" he said slowly, Kilit's eyes widened and his ears perked. "From Terra? You are from Terra!" he whispered excitedly. Shiro nodded, "it's a lovely planet, it's full of bad and good people but it's home and I miss it."

"Do you have family?" Kilit asked, Shiro brought his hand down to run his fingers through Kilit's hair, he tried not laugh when Kilit shut his eyes and preened under the touch. "Yes, I have a big family, a mother and father and tons of siblings."

"I wish I had a family" Kilit murmured opened his eyes, "I remember my mother a little bit, she was a Galra like me." Kilit said then looked around sharply and Shiro furrowed his brows confused.

"What do you mean _like you?"_

"I'm a halfbreed that is why I'm a whore--a halfbreed is a disgrace to all Galra, they are treated like the lowest of the low."

"Then your father?" Shiro asked softly not wanting to get Kilit in trouble for talking his parents, Kilit suddenly turned embarrassed and he scooted further away from Shiro, he curled his knees into his chest and gave Shiro a look.

"Shut your eyes" he demanded, Shiro raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Are you going to kill me?" he asked, Kilit flushed a deeper purple then his skin and he glared at Shiro. "I thought you said you were a good judge of character" he huffed.

"Alright--Alright, shutting them right now" Shiro said. Kilit turned around quickly used his ears to make sure no one was around then turned back to Shiro who was waiting patiently with his eyes shut, Kilit took a deep breath and released his glamour spell on him.

Kilit felt the sudden changes, he skin felt lighter and his head felt lighter probably because of the loss of the ears but his sensed had lowered and he opened his eyes.

"Y-You can look now" Kilit said quietly.

Shiro slowly opened his eyes and he froze when he saw what was sitting in front of him, a pale skinned human, a pale skinned human with black hair not as long as Kilit's but still pretty long, those bright yellow eyes were no longer yellow but instead were much like a human however the color was violet, his ears were no longer large and furry like a cats but were small and hidden beneath his thick locks like a human, his nose was straight and his lips were small and pouty.

"Y-You!" Shiro cried out in shock, Kilit winced and quickly reached forward to slap his a _human_ hand across his mouth. "Shhh!" he hissed pressing a _human_ finger to his _human_ lips that had no fangs jutting out from his bottom lip.

"What the actual fuck!" Shiro hissed but his voice was muffled by the hand covered his mouth.

"First of all, I have no idea what you just said and second of all can you shut up! Someone will hear you!" Kilit hissed at him, he looked around then back at Shiro who was currently staring at him with either amazement or fear.

"How--how did you turn into a human?" Shiro asked quietly after pushing Kilit's hands away from his mouth.

Kilit flushed and his flush wasn't a dark purple it was a light pink that spread across his cheeks and holy fuck Kilit had freckles, tiny brown dots littered all across his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose.

Kilit ran a hand through his hair and peeked up at him, "I'm--my father is human, he's from your planet Terra."

"Earth? So, you're like a Human-Galra hybrid?" Shiro squeaked then cleared his throat, Kilit nodded and sat back down on his knees between Shiro's opened legs, "I-I can change my appearance by will but the person who raised me had forced me to keep my Galra appearance, said he could not stand how hideous I looked" Kilit murmured playing with the sand on the floor with his fingers.

"I don't think you look hideous" Shiro said then flushed when Kilit glanced up at him, he slowly smirked and tapped a finger on his chin, "you do not? So then you think I look hideous in my Galra form?" he teased.

"Wha! No! I never said that" Shiro cried, Kilit winced and glared at him the put a sandy finger to his mouth, Shiro nodded and reached forward to press his thumb on Kilit's cheek bones. "Huh? You really are human then or well half human" he said pulling his hand away.

"You need to bed me remember?" Kilit murmured grabbing onto Shiro's hand before he pulled away, Shiro tensed and visibly gulped. Kilit leaned up until he was on his knees and his hands were placed on Shiro's thighs, he pressed his lips against Shiro's neck and gave a little lick to his adam's apple.

Shiro let out a shaky breath and let Kilit lick and suck on his neck, he winced when Kilit bit down then lick on the bite, "you're gonna leave a bruise" Shiro murmured running his hands down Kilit's back, "so?" he whispered and pulled away.

"Do you want to stay in human form or Galra form?" Shiro asked picking up Kilit so he could sit in his lap, Kilit shrugged and took off his circlet, he tossed it on the ground beside him and wrapped his arms around Shiro's neck. "Does not matter, which do you prefer?" he asked, tilting his head. Shiro brought Kilit closer to him and and shrugged, "whatever your comfortable with" he said.

"I'll stay human then" Kilit said, then his eyes fluttered shut when he felt Shiro's fingers slip under his tunic and press against his wet hole, Kilit moaned and squirmed from the pressure of Shiro's fingers slipping inside. "You do not need to do that, I told you before" Kilit whined, he bit his bottom lip and Shiro leaned forward to kiss Kilit's neck, ignoring his whining.

It took them some time before they were naked, Kilit refused to ruin a tunic and half to walk half naked up the stairs to meet Sendak, so he had folded up his tunic nicely and placed it on the floor. "I do not know how you guys can survive, how well do you guys hear?" Kilit grunted when he couldn't ear anything besides Shiro's panting in his ear, "can we concentrate on something else then humans horrible hearing?" Shiro growled grabbing Kilit's hips in a vice grip.

Kilit grunted and he smacked Shiro on the shoulder, "are humans always this pushy?" he teased then gasped when Shiro wrapped his hands around his cock, Kilit arched his back and latched his nails tightly onto Shiro's back, Kilit whined and tried to arch his hips into Shiro's hand but a firm arm over his hips prevented it.

Kilit let one of his hands drop from Shiro's shoulder and twist into the sheet below them, there was never this much pleasure when Lotor bedded him, it was more pain then pleasure and not a good kind of a pain; but with Shiro, all he felt was pleasure, his mind was blinded by it and he was left a sobbing mess on the cot.

"Are you close?" Shiro panted roughly, his pace going from steady to frantic. Kilit nodded and his squeezed his eyes shut, there were no sounds except for the lewd wet slapping of their thighs and their panting. The heat was back in his stomach like last time and Kilit moaned his hands frantically latching onto Shiro's shoulder, his blunt nails sinking into Shiro's skin.

Shiro's thumb was rubbing circles over Kilit's cock head, Kilit whined and clenched down as he came, Shiro hissed when Kilit clenched down on him and with that he came as well. Kilit grunted when Shiro fell on top of him.

"You are heavy!" Kilit whined, "sorry just let me catch my breath" Shiro panted, Kilit huffed and waited patiently for Shiro to get up even though he was close to loosing his breath.

"I should go" Kilit whispered when Shiro got up, he pulled his limp cock out of Kilit's hole and nodded. Shiro helped Kilit dress in his tunic and stand up on his wobbly feet, "I can do it myself" he hissed grabbing the chain from Shiro's hands and placing it on his head again.

"Are you going to come back?" Shiro asked.

Kilit shrugged, "Lotor decides when I visit you, he saw your battle today and said that if you defeat the Ourix that he would you have me for the night" he said. Shiro nodded and grabbed his clothes from the floor.

"I will try to come back though" Kilit said hesitantly, Shiro nodded and reached up to scratch his neck. "I want you to come back, not just for sex but to have someone to talk to. It's been ages since I had a decent conversation with someone who's not trying to kill me" Shiro joked, Kilit didn't find it funny.

"I will come back then" Kilit promised, he used the key from his anklet to open the door and left silently.

Shiro put on his clothes and stumbled back to his cot, it smelled of sweat, sex, and oddly a familiar scent of jasmine; he didn't mind. Shiro promptly pulled the thin cover over his shivering body and slept.

* * *

 

The next morning, there was a Galra who came in with two guard behind him with guns in each hand, this Galra didn't have the same deep purple skin it was more of a lavender with a thick white hair going straight down the middle of his head towards the nape of his neck.

"Congrats Champion, you been promoted" he said solemnly and motioned for the guards to grab Shiro by his arms while the Galra went to unchain him from the wall, they dragged him out of the cell room and up the stairs to the familiar outside of the cell room.

"We're you taking me?" Shiro asked his voice cracking, the Galra didn't say anything just continued on walking, they past other Galra on the way and Shiro never felt more vulnerable before even more then he was on the field. Shiro looked back down at his feet and did his best to ignore the onlooking of the Galra whom they passed.

"Ah is this the Champion?"

The Guards stilled and Shiro looked up, it was a tall Galra with slim built but he looked just as deadly as any other Galra on the ship, with white hair that fell over his shoulders, a wicked smirk on his face, and the familiar intense yellow eyes, he was dressed in Galra solider uniform.

"Yes my Prince" the Galra in front of him said bowing his head respectfully. _Prince?_ Shiro narrowed his eyes. "Ulaz there no need for such formalities, You're my favorite command on this ship." The Prince said turning his frown turning into a smile, it was clearly fake and Shiro could see it clearly, Ulaz didn't say anything and the Prince turned his attention to Shiro.

"My, My, you are much smaller up close. Such a puny creature, I'm surprised you took down my beloved pet" The Prince tsked then waved his hand to Ulaz, "Take him away, I hate looking at such ugly creatures" he said.

 _"Vrepit Sa"_ Ulaz said and looked over his shoulder at the other two guards and Shiro before going back on his way, the Guards gave Shiro a jerk and he started walking again; Shiro's eyes widened when he spotted a familiar Galra standing beside the Prince, practically naked in a transparent and flimsy black tunic, golden anklets, and a collar around his slim neck, a chain hanging down and ending at the Prince's hand.

Shiro watched as Kilit walked right past him without even giving him a spare glance, Shiro went to look over shoulder when the Guard on his left cuffed him hard on the head, "walk straight Champion" he hissed.

Shiro turned back around and continued on walking, they turned a corner and until they reached a narrow hallway, Ulaz stopped down the middle and pressed his hand against a keypad, the edges around the door lit purple before hissing open. Ulaz tugged Shiro inside and latched the chain onto the wall and the guard behind him gave Shiro a good kick at the back of his knees.

Shiro grunted and fell to his knees, he kept his head bent low and waited for them to leave.

"This will be your _home_ might as well get comfortable" he said and walked past Shiro, the door hissing shut behind him. Shiro looked around the room and squinted, it wasn't that well light as it was downstairs but it was much cleaner.

Solid metal black walls, a bigger bed to sleep on, the ceiling and the floors were lined with neon purple lights and Shiro could barely see anything beyond his hand.

Shiro got up and slumped on his bed, he had to get out or die trying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cries in shame* I'm so sorry about the sex scene, please forgive me. Also forgive me for writing such a short chapter! I know this isn't enough.
> 
> YAY you meet Ulaz in this chapter #bless this lavender boy, he my fav, HE DESERVED THE WHOLE WORLD, HIM AND THACE.
> 
>  
> 
> right so ANYWAYS if yous guys find any mistakes, please tell me. I will fix this.
> 
> bruh so leave comments, kudos, bookmark this shit! :> tell me how it was!


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally I posted Chapter 3 after so long, I did my best to fix any mistakes; but it's allergy season and I can't focus on shit and I was like. "Ima post this now and once I'm feeling better, I'll go back and reread it again to find any mistakes"

"I saw the champion look at you" Lotor said dragging his hand through the clear water of his bath, Kilit was kneeling right behind him washing his hair. "I did not notice my Prince" Kilit said softly dipping his hands in the bucket of water next to him to wash off the suds from his hands, he then grabbed a small towel.

"He seemed entranced by you" Lotor added. "Whatever you say, my prince," Kilit said dragging the towel down Lotor's neck to his shoulders, he tried to focus on washing the prince rather then the conversation, he did not want to anger the prince like last time.

"I _think_ the champion has taken a liking to you" Lotor teased, it was a cruel joke and Kilit wanted nothing more to drag the smug bastard's face into the water.

"I do not know what to say my prince" Kilit said instead moving over so he could wash the Prince's chest. "Oh, but I do know what you are thinking," Lotor said his voice taking a dangerous turn, Kilit dared to look up and he froze. The glowing yellows eyes were narrowed and Lotor snapped his hand up to latch onto Kilit's wrist, his nails digging into his skin almost drawing blood.

"You think about him too, you have taken a liking to him as well. _Pathetic,_ did you honestly think I would not notice, I saw you watch him very closely in his battles. Even as a prisoner he has more rights then you, he has his meals given to him while you beg for it every night. Do _not_ think for once that you are valid!" Lotor hissed giving Kilit's wrist another painful squeeze for good measure.

Kilit let out a whimper when he felt Lotor's claws dig his wrist, Kilit quickly brought up his wrist to his chest when Lotor released him with a rough shove.

"Now get out of my sight!" Lotor growled, he shut his eyes and leaned his head back against the tub. Kilit hesitated and picked up the soaking towel, "but my prince your bath?" he started. Lotor snapped his eyes opened and as quick as Kilit could blink, Lotor's hand swung and connected with Kilit's cheek.

"Do as I say!" Lotor shouted ignoring Kilit's cry of pain, Kilit brought a hand to his cheek and nodded, he quickly scrambled up and ran out of the Prince's room. Lotor sighed and ran a his hand through his wet hair, he grabbed the jug near the tub and washed the soap from his hair and got up to grab dry off a change into uniform.

"My Prince?"

Lotor finished zipping up his suit and walked over to open the door, Sendak was behind the door with a fist raised to his chest. "My prince, your father wishes to have an audience with you" he said. Lotor raised an eyebrow, "my father?" he asked incredulously.

Lotor sighed and shut the door behind him, "well Commander lead the way" he said. Sendak nodded and walked Lotor towards the main control room, his father was already waiting for him in the hologram.

"Lord Zarkon" Lotor said.

Zarkon sneered at him, "we have a clue of the Blue Lion's whereabouts, it's in a galaxy called the _Milky-Way_ and I heard that you have a prisoner from the same Galaxy. Find out where he's hiding it" Zarkon ordered.

Lotor nodded turned on his heel and left the Control Room and down over to the cells, he opened the Champions cell and glared at him, said champion blinked at the sudden lights that invaded his cell.

"I heard that you're from a lovely planet called Earth and I know that planet is in a Galaxy called the Milky-Way"

The champion sneered at him, "what do you want from my home planet, I've told you many times that we are a peaceful kind" he growled, Lotor rolled his eyes and walked over so he was standing only inches away.

"I have no plans in conquering your pathetic planet, I just need some information on something" he said, Shiro eyed him and leaned his head away, "what is it that you need?" he asked.

Lotor smirked, "a weapon is hiding in your planets orbit, I don't know where but you will give me the information on where it's hidden" he said.

"A weapon? I don't know what you're talking about" Shiro said confused, Lotor's lips curled and he grasped the champions neck in a firm grasp. "If I have to torture to the brink of death in order to get that information I will and you _will_ tell me where you're hiding the lion!" he shouted.

Shiro chocked and frantically tried to pry the prince's grip away from his neck but it was useless, he was too strong. "Tell me where you're hiding it!" Lotor shouted giving the champion's neck a squeeze watching gleefully as his face started turning blue.

Lotor released him and the champion gasped for air, his hands coming up to grasp his neck. "Pathetic, honestly so pathetic" Lotor muttered then paused,  he gave the champion a look before straightening up and fixing his wrinkled uniform and left the cell.

Lotor turned to one of the guards and pointed at him, "go find the hybrid whore and bring him to the champion for the night" he commanded, the guard nodded and ran off to find the whore. Lotor took a deep breath and relaxed himself before heading off to his room for a nights rest.

* * *

 

The guard slammed the door shut behind him and Kilit used that opportunity to change his form back into human, his intense eyesight disappeared and he finally figured out how it was like not to be able to see in the dark.

"Shiro?" Kilit whispered edging forward, Shiro walked over and reached out to grasped Kilit's hand to pull him to the bed, "I heard the Prince visited you, are you alright?" Kilit asked settling down on Shiro's lap. It was a bold move and neither of them excepted but Shiro didn't comment on it. "It's nothing" Shiro said running his hand along Kilit's side, "what did he say?" Kilit asked.

"Something about a weapon, do you know anything about a weapon?" Shiro asked, Kilit shook his head, "I though the Galra had the best weapons throughout the universe" he said. There was a click and the neon purple lights lit up all along the floor and ceilings of the cell.

Kilit made a sound at the back of his throat when he saw the bruises all around Shiro's neck, "I thought you said it was nothing?" Kilit demanded, his fingers dancing along the bruises. Shiro huffed and tightened his grasp on Kilit's hip, "I've had worse" Shiro said then his eyes widened when he saw the molting dark purple bruise on Kilit's cheekbone.

"What happened here?" he demanded grasping Kilit's chin with his thumb and forefinger, he turned his head to the side so he could take a closer look at the bruise. "It is nothing" Kilit said quickly jerking his head away from Shiro's grasp.

"Was it the prince?" Shiro asked firmly, Kilit didn't say anything and Shiro narrowed his eyes, "you should put something on it" Shiro said instead, Kilit finally looked up at him and he was glaring even without his yellow eyes it was intimidating.

"I have gone through worse" Kilit growled.

Shiro narrowed his eyes, "then you have no right to question me about my bruise" he said firmly, Kilit huffed and moved away from Shiro and went to sulk in the corner. Shiro sighed and counted to ten before walking over, he couldn't fully reach Kilit because of the chain holding him back but he got close enough to see him pouting.

"I'm sorry for getting angry but please, we only have tonight until then I don't know when I'll see you so please don't be angry" Shiro said, Kilit ignored him.

"Kilit please," Shiro said.

Kilit twitched and Shiro tried again, "Kilit I'm sorry" he said holding out his hand, Kilit puffed out a breath and walked a few steps forward and grasped Shiro's hand. "I am sorry as well, I had no right to get angry at you" he said quietly, Shiro smiled and he pulled him back to the bed where he sat down and Kilit sitting down comfortably in his lap.

"Tell me about your home," Kilit demanded grasping one of Shiro's hand between his own. "Well, I'm from a small town in New York; I grew up there with my family and I've always wanted to learn out to fly, I always loved the stars and wondered what if there any other life beyond our planet. So, I left my home in New York to go to Arizona to attend a flight school."

"Flight school? What is this New York and Arizona?" Kilit asked curiously.

"It's state--so Earth is a huge planet that's mostly filled with water and we have this continent--more like sections of land on the planet and each section is filled with humans like me, some similar to me and some look completely opposite-"

"-Oh I thought everyone on Terra look like you or similar to you--there is a whole race of _humans?"_

"Yeah, we each have a different background but we're still humans and so each section divide into more sections where humans build their homes, they go out and do whatever they want. So I'm from a section called New York, I had to go down to a section called Arizona and there's a school I was attending? Do Galra have schools?" Shiro asked.

"Yeah, each Galra is permitted to enter a school where you learn then a school where you learn to fight."

"Fighting school?"

"Yes, top of my class in both learning and fighting" Kilit praised himself, Shiro raised an eyebrow and Kilit leaned his body against Shiro's chest, "Although I'm not a fan of fighting the innocence, I never was, I hated taking fighting the weak it didn't feel right" Kilit said.

Shiro wrapped his arms around Kilit's waist, "I'm glad" Shiro said softly. Kilit ran his nose along Shiro's jawline and huffed, "tell me more" he whispered.

"I was enrolling to be a fighter class pilot, we travel to space and enter unknown planets. My mission to Kerberos was my first mission that was so far from home but as you can see I had failed." Shiro said.

"I am sorry for my people," Kilit said then raised his head. "I am pleased that I met you--although I am not pleased that you had to go through so much pain." Kilit said, Shiro laughed softly and brought up his hand to run his fingers along the Kilit's soft cheek.

"As am I."

Kilit flushed and he lowered his gaze to his hands and playfully tugged on Shiro's shirt. "What about your home? Where did you live before the school?" he asked.

"I had a small home in New York before my flight school but I do have a home in Japan, it's one the sections I used to live in. A small home in the mountains, surrounded by trees and a huge garden in the back filled with flowers, there is nobody around to bother me and I loved the peacefulness it brings me."

"Sounds lovely" Kilit said closing his eyes and leaning his head back onto Shiro's shoulder. "I'll take you there one day--one day when I escape from this horrible place, I'll take you with me back home." Shiro promised.

Kilit froze and a moment later he snapped his head up, "escape?" he breathed. "How-Shiro that's-"

"-I've survived for so long and I swear it on my life that I'll escape and take you with me." Shiro said, Kilit sighed and he reached up to cup Shiro's cheeks in his hand. "For many years I have tried to escape but Shiro it's impossible."

Shiro grinned and winked at Kilit, "that's cause you've never had me, now I'm here and I promise I'll help you escape." He breathed, Kilit wanted to argue on the subject but it was true, he had Shiro and Shiro gave him hope.

"For some stupid reason, I believe you" Kilit murmured, Shiro laughed and bumped his forehead against Kilit playfully, "yes and for some stupid reason I find myself looking forward to show you my home once we escape," Shiro teased.

Kilit tensed and he moved away to glare at Shiro, " _stupid reason--_ you should be honored to even be in my presence!" Kilit hissed, Shiro laughed and Kilit flushed, "I sounded like a Galra didn't I?" he muttered.

"That's okay, even if you were full Galra I would still like you-haha! What?! I mean--" Shiro stammered, Kilit bit his lip and leaned in to lick along Shiro's cheek.

"What the heck? Why'd you lick me?" Shiro asked wiping his saliva from his cheek, Kilit frowned. "That is how Galra show affection, is that not how you humans do it?" He asked curiously. Shiro snorted and he jerked Kilit's chin up with his thumb and leaned down to press a soft kiss to his lips.

"That's how _we_ show affection" Shiro stated, Kilit frowned and pressed a finger to his lips, "it felt weird" he murmured.

Shiro squeezed his hips gently and did it again, Kilit made a confused sound squeezed his eyes shut, Shiro pulled back and kissed his nose. "Do you want me to stop? Are you uncomfortable?" Shiro asked softly running his knuckles down Kilit's unbruised cheek.

"No--I like it" Kilit murmured then leaned in to nuzzle his nose against Shiro's, "do it again" he said, Shiro smiled and went to lean in again but paused, "close your eyes" he said, Kilit shut his eyes and Shiro captured his lips in a kiss.

Kilit clenched his hands in Shiro's purple uniform and leaned in further, he squirmed when Shiro licked his lips, "open your mouth" Shiro whispered pulling away for a bit. Kilit let out a shaky breath before opening his mouth, he made a confused sound when Shiro pressed his tongue in.

"Wha-what are you doing?" he asked pulling away, "sorry I guess that it's too much. We'll just stick to no tongue kissing" Shiro murmured running his nose along Kilit's neck and pressed a kiss on his Adam's apple.

"Kissing?"

"That's what's called, kissing when you like someone you kiss them," Shiro said kissing up his neck and sucked the sensitive skin behind his ear, Kilit gasped and brought his hands up to grasp Shiro's shoulders.

"I--I would also like to kiss you," Kilit said pushing Shiro away from his ear, Shiro smiled and shut his eyes, "go ahead."

Kilit squared his shoulders and pressed the pad of his fingers on Shiro's jaw and leaned into kiss Shiro, but Kilit miscalculated and his lips pressed against Shiro's left nostril and skin above his lip. Shiro pulled away laughing and Kilit flushed and he glared down at the floor with a pout.

"Sorry, Sorry" Shiro said covering his mouth to hide his smile, Kilit ignored him and Shiro nuzzled his cheek and wrapped his arms tightly around Kilit's waist and pulled him down so they were laying side by side on the bed.

"You know, you have this very distinct smell" Shiro said pushing his hands up Kilit's tunic and running his fingers along his stomach, Kilit squirmed against the tickling sensation and shoved Shiro's hands away.

"Like what? Is it bad?" Kilit asked pushing Shiro's hands over to his thighs. "No, it reminds me of home, you smell like Jasmine" Shiro said shaking his head, Kilit raised an eyebrow "Jasmine? What's that?" he asked.

"A flower, they smell really wonderful during night time, some people even call them the night ladies" he said.

"Oh...I have not seen a flower in my whole life," Kilit admitted, Shiro frowned and rested his head on his knuckles, "really? Do aliens not have flowers? I mean is there a planet with life meaning as in trees and flowers?" Shiro asked.

Kilit nodded, "I know not where I was born but my whole life since I _could_  remember, I have been living on a Cargo Ship, I know of the Altean flower called the _Juniberries_  but that's all I know of. Since the Empire rose, most of the Galra are on ships, they rarely land and when they do it's to take over planets, but for me--I have always been on a ship, never even seen a star or a moon or a planet even."

Shiro cupped Kilit's cheek and kissed him, "When we escape, I swear I'll show you the whole universe, even if the Galra are on our tail, I promise I'll show you everything" Shiro promised. Kilit's lips quivered and he felt his eyes itch, he quickly burrowed his face in Shiro's chest.

"Are you crying?" Shiro asked gently pushing back a strand of hair from Kilit's face, said person nodded and he sniffled wiping his eyes roughly with the heel of his hand. "I am sorry for showing you my tears but you truly are a wonderful person," Kilit whispered.

"It's okay to cry," Shiro said laying down fully, he laid his arms over his chest and smiled at Kilit. "I--I was raised to believe that crying was a sign of weakness," Kilit whispered.

"Yeah but you gotta remember, you were also raised by the Galra" Shiro said laughing. Kilit nodded and smiled at Shiro, he turned around so he was laying on his chest and his arms were crossed in front of his so he could lay his head down on them.

"Where would you like to go first once we escape?" Kilit asked eagerly, Shiro smiled and turned to stare up at the ceiling. "Well once we escape, I was hoping to surprise my parents, we could hide the pod in my house in Arizona, we have the underground basement for emergencies when tornadoes come, I'll explain tornadoes later. Then I can introduce you to my family, then we can take the pod back to space and go where ever you wanna go, oh! how about..."

* * *

 

There was a slight skip in the whores step and Lotor knew it was because of the Champion. Kilit looked happy even though nobody else could see it, Lotor knew instantly that something was different then the usual mopey whore.

"Anything else My prince?" Kilit asked fluffing up the last pillow, he face the Prince and paused when he saw the calculating look on his face, this was not good.

"You seemed very happy for the past day or two" Lotor said, he poked his fork into a slab of meat and pointed a clawed finger at Kilit, "did you and the champion confess your love for each other?" he teased sliding the meat into his mouth.

Kilit froze and he bowed his head, "n-no my prince" he stuttered, Lotor hummed and cleared his throat. "So, I would obviously assume that you would be upset about the slap from the other day, but you're not..." Lotor trailed off, he stabbed another piece of meat.

"I-I...it's nothing my prince, I am passed the hit" he said softly, nervously clenching onto his tunic.

"Hmm--well even if you two idiot did confess your dying love, I wouldn't be surprised. You two deserve each other, both so pathetic and hopeful" Lotor sneered, Kilit didn't say anything just kept his head bowed. _Agree and leave, agree and leave._

"The champion has another battle tonight, we will see if this is his last battle" Lotor murmured, he glanced over at Kilit who had his head bowed, a dirty rag clenching between his fist. "You need to be ready by two vargas, I have a meeting with my father" Lotor said.

"Yes my prince" Kilit said and waited for the prince to leave before sighing in relief, he tossed the dirty rag in a bucket and left the room to visit the bath chambers. After a quick clean up, he went through the small servant's hallways to his bedroom.

Kilit wanted to dress nice tonight, he was hoping Lotor would let him see Shiro so he wanted to be prepared. He slipped on his favorite black tunic, the sleeves ended at his elbow where it tightly clinch at his skin and his back was bare with single strap tying around his neck to hold up the fabric, the cloth ended just little bit above his knees and the whole cloth itself was transparent and light. Kilit tied his favorite golden bands around his ankles, he flicked one of the bells and smiled as it chimed.

Kilit scooted back a bit and opened up the hidden latch on his floorboards, he grabbed a small vial and bit his lip. _Is it too much, am I going over?_ Kilit decided against it and put the vial back in his chest and hid it under the floor boards and threw a small rug over it.

The Galra may be advanced but that did mean that everyone was privileged to the advancement. It was humiliating, they had given Kilit a small itchy cloth that hung from one of his quarters to the other side, hovering above his release chambers.

A dirty old metal bucket where he released himself, then he washed the bucket in the lower parts of the ship where all the servants worked, he didn't even had a cloth to cover himself, it got really cold on the ship and Lotor blessed him with very transparent and revealing clothing.

The vial of aroma he stole from a cargo run, he had kept for special occasions but if he wore it now, Lotor would defiantly find out so he saved it when they escaped, he would wear everyday for Shiro.

Kilit stood up and dusted off his knees and brushed his hair again, then pulled it in a low ponytail with a golden band with two small bells that hung by a thin golden thread. Kilit looked himself over through a cracked smudgy mirror and decided that it was the best he can do without throwing Lotor off.

Kilit left his chamber room and walked down the hall towards the Prince's room, Lotor was probably still in the meeting with his father because Kilit didn't take long for himself to get ready, he waited patiently beside Lotor's bed until his return and tapped his knees nervously, waiting the time go by slowly.

He wondered what would there life be like, would they travel the universe before settling down, would it be small hidden planet where no Galra would find them or would it be back on Shiro's planet, he wouldn't mind where they are, the only thing that would matter is that they are safe and happy.

Kilit squirmed in excitement and brought up his claws to nibble on them. What would their house look like, would it be small or big. He would rather have a small house, it would be cozy and safe. One problem would be is that how were they going to get food, because Kilit doesn't know how to cook and he wasn't sure if Shiro knew.

He wasn't sure how Terra was like, would it be like Altea? Arus? Balmera? Olkarion? Kilit wasn't sure would they have to hunt for food like they did do in Arus? Or would food grow from the ground like in Altea? In the books Kilit as read, the Galra got there food by hunting in smaller creature infested planets where abundance of creatures thrived, Kilit put his hands under his knees so it wouldn't chew through his claws because he was getting excited and nervous at the same time.

The door banged open and Kilit instantly lowered his head and his mood turned sour as Lotor sauntered, Kilit flinched when Lotor slammed his fist into the metal wall. Kilit eyed the wall carefully and turned cold when he saw the dent in the wall.

"Get up" Lotor hissed. Kilit stood up slowly and kept his eyes to his feet and waited for the next order.

"You cleaned up pretty" Lotor murmured, Kilit was grateful he chose against the wear the aroma. Lotor circled him and Kilit tried not to tremble but considering the face that he could see his fingers shaking, he wasn't doing a good job.

"The champion will be excited to see you" Lotor whispered running clawed finger alone the bare of his back. Kilit bit his lip to stop a whimper and arched his back, trying to pull away from the finger and Lotor grabbed him by the hair and yanked him on the bed.

Kilit cried out and stared up at Lotor, "I noticed that I do not get to use as often as I did before" Lotor hissed taking off his uniform, Kilit crawled back on the bed and he shakily held up his hand.

"Pl-Please" he pleaded feeling his eyes tear up. Lotor sneered at him and raised his hand to slap Kilit, "you do _not_ order me whore!" he hissed shaking his hand feeling it burn from the hit. Kilit didn't dare to speak up again and pressed his hand against his heated cheek and silently cried as Lotor ripped off his favorite tunic and grabbed a fistful of hair, his claws scraping harshly against his scalp, he could feel warm liquid run down his temples, the blood staining the satin bed covers.

Kilit shut his eyes when Lotor penetrated him, it was not like how Shiro did it, it was not done with gentle fingers slowly opening him, he hated it, he wanted it gone but Kilit was weak against Lotor, he was helpless.

"Look at you, are you not happy? Is it because I am not the Champion? Would you rather it be the Champion who penetrates you?" Lotor teased his claws scrapping down Kilit's torso then grabbed Kilit by his jaw, his claws puncturing his jaws. "You are _my_ whore not his, now if I ever see you look nice for someone except for me I will not hesitate to kill you" Lotor growled, he felt satisfaction when the whore's blood dripped down his own fingers and dripped down onto Kilit's neck.

Kilit whined and clenched his fist into the sheets, Lotor was huge and he was tearing him from the inside, the pain was too much and Kilit started crying, he turned his head into the pillow and sobbed.

Lotor grunted and emptied himself inside Kilit and pulled away with a revealed sigh. "The Champion will never want you again, once he sees how you look like he will never think once about putting his eyes on you again" Lotor growled and climbed off the bed.

Kilit turned to his side and brought the sheet to his face and wept, Lotor walked over and dragged Kilit by his hair off the bed, "get up!" he growled. Kilit wrapped his hands around Lotor's wrist and pulled himself up.

"Walk" Lotor ordered, Kilit eyes widened and he shook his head frantically, Lotor's eyes narrowed and he backhanded Kilit on the same cheek he hit before. Kilit stumbled to the ground and whimpered.

" _Get up!"_ Lotor screamed reaching down to yank Kilit up with his arm, Kilit stumbled and pressed a hand against Lotor's arm. "Pl-Please" Kilit whispered. Lotor ignored him and shoved Kilit out of his room. Lotor shut the door behind him and narrowed his eyes at the whore.

He was shivering, his clothes were ripped and there was nothing hiding his bare body, his black hair was knotted and messy, dried blood on his scalp, forehead, his cheeks, jaw, a large bruise on his cheek, his eyes were red and swollen from crying.

The whore looked dirty and used perfectly, Lotor grabbed him by the hair and pulled him along towards the arena.

With every step, liquid would drip down his cheeks, obscene white liquid that everyone knew what is was. Kilit shut his eyes when they reached the arena, he blindly let Lotor drag him into the room.

"Look up!" Lotor growled giving him a shake, Kilit opened his eyes and flushed deeply when he saw the other prisoners whispering about them, Kilit looked away from the crowd and and he made the mistake of looking up.

Shiro was sitting there on a bench in his usual purple uniform, Kilit eyes widened and he was not strong enough to break free, he did not want Shiro too look at him like this, he did not want Shiro to feel disgusted with him.

"Champion!" Lotor shouted, Kilit felt his eyes tear up again when Shiro looked up, his eyes widened, Keith whined and tried to lower his head but Lotor yanked his head up, "this is how you use a whore. If you win you win the battle, I expect that the whore to be even more broken when returned back to me" Lotor said coldly.

Kilit felt Lotor slowly release his grip on his hair and without Lotor holding him up Kilit slumped to the floor on his knees, he pitched forward and covered his face in his thighs. Lotor sneered when the whore started to tremble, his body quivering from his sobs

"Honestly you should be grateful that you are alive, if you didn't have a pretty face, I would have killed you the second you were introduced to me," Lotor said coldly, he peeked up at the champion and smiled.

He was livid with such raw anger. It sent shivers down his spine. Lotor smirked and motioned for a guard to drag the whore back to his room. "Make him wait there until the battle is finished, then give him to the champion...if he survives" Lotor said crossing his arms, his gaze set on the champion.

"I wonder how are you going to contain all that anger, it will one day consume you and blind you." Lotor said calmly, the champion clenched his fist and his cheeks turned red. "I should be going then, don't want to keep the audience waiting" Lotor added, he turned around walked out of the back room and towards the arena where Ulaz lead him up to his spot.

"Bring forth the champion!" Lotor shouted.

* * *

 

Shiro was a small child, he was the smallest child of his family even out of his cousins. Shiro remembered being bullied by kids bigger and stronger then he was, he remembered coming home crying to his mother and father. They would tell him the same thing, _"be brave Takashi, be strong, you have so much to live for, don't let little things put you down."_

Then Shiro sprouted like a tree once he hit puberty, he grew stronger and those bullies seemed like flies now, he could easily take them down but never used his strength to bully others, he hated violence, he hated belittling others, people used to look up at him now everyone wanted to be friends with Takashi Shirogane.

Now he felt like he was eight again, he felt weak and little. Shiro wanted nothing more then to be wrapped in warm arms, he wanted to be safe, to be secure and not have to worry about anything.

Shiro dug his heels into the sand as the doors raised open, he could hear the screams of the Galra, the taunting jeers, insults and what not they screamed at him. Shiro's grip on his weapon tightened and he felt a bead of sweat run down from his temple to his jaw, Shiro narrowed his eyes when the door across the arena opened.

Out came a creature that looked straight out of Jurassic Park, it looked like a raptor but only his skin matched the sandy floor, he had two extra heads, which means three times the amount of sharp teeth and two extra set of pairs to watch his every move.

_You have so much to live for_

Shiro gritted his teeth and stepped forward into the arena, the door slammed shut behind him and the it caught the attention of the creature. The black chain attached to all three of their necks, dissolved into thin air. The raptor reared back its heads, his the claws on his hands extended and Shiro braced himself as it ran forward. 

_Be strong little one._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My original plan was to post Chapter 3 and 4 back to back but something happened to my laptop and I lost more then half of chapter 4. So currently rewriting it once I'm feeling better.
> 
> Please-please tell me if you guys find any mistakes, like shit don't feel embarrassed about telling me. The only person who's gonna be embarrassed is me. So lay it on me! Tell me all the mistakes you guys find! I'll be sure to fix em.
> 
> Also don't forget to Kudos and Comment!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well finally finished chapter 4, yay! screams. Anyways enjoy!

Shiro rolled out last second and quickly shot back up to his feet and kept his stare on the raptor. It skidded to a halt and twirled around, all three heads hissing at him. Shiro tensed and took a step back, his whole body was sweating and his grip on the weapon wasn't good, his hands were too clammy.

"Come on" Shiro hissed quietly, the raptor slowly started moving to the left, all all three pairs locked onto him. Shiro copied it's movement and started going right, he had to attack but all the advances didn't work. He was too slow and the raptor was too fast, he needed to find a blind spot, he needed to survive, if not for himself but for his family back home, for Matt, for Dr. Holt, for Kilit.

_Kilit_

Just thinking about him made Shiro's blood boil, he wanted nothing more to kill Lotor. Consensual sex was different, heck even if you wanted to become a whore that was different but what Lotor did to Kilit was unthinkable even from the beginning 

Getting distracted was one big mistake, Shiro didn't realize he was deep in thought until the Raptor a few feet away, Shiro cursed and quickly spun around and swung his double ended sword as well.

Shiro was not fast enough, the claw sliced across his stomach, promptly ripping his shirt and making a deep gash across his stomach, bleed oozed from his cut and Shiro stumbled from the pain.

Shiro glanced up when he heard hissing and screeching, he felt satisfaction when his sword sliced at one of the raptors neck, the one closest to him. The sword slit halfway through the neck and it was hanging in a awkward position.

The two other head were making hissing and cooing sounds watching as it's brother hung dead from his neck, they then turned their heads over to Shiro.

"Come at me" Shiro growled, he took a step forward and ignored the pain in his stomach, they reared their heads back and charged forward. Shiro steadied himself, he realized that he'd have to get really close to attack not just swing his sword and expect it to slice through.

Shiro however wasn't expecting it to turn last second and swung it's heavy tail at him, the tail hit him across his chest and flung him across the sandy floor, he skidded to a halt and groaned. Shiro rolled over and got to his knees, the raptor charged again and Shiro knew what was coming.

He jumped over the tail and spun around, crouching low on his knees he took the advantage of the confused raptor and slammed his sword up through the right raptors jaw and out of it's head.

Said raptor squealed and shook his his single head and backtracked away from Shiro, the sword still stuck in it's dead brothers head. Shiro ignored the jeering crowd and focused on the task in front of him, now all he needed was to get his sword and kill the last head.

The raptor let out a low moan and looked left and right, it kept screeching and moaning. Shiro knew it would be a bad chose to reach for it's sword, he'll just have to wait for it to come to him. So Shiro waited but the raptor wasn't coming for him, it kept looking left and right at it's dead brothers and moaning.

_Was it...Was it mourning?_

Shiro looked closely at the raptor and realized just like him, it was covered in scars, deep brown gashes littered it's green body, what looked like burnt skin around it's ankle, wrist, and around the muzzle of their mouths. Shiro soon realized that the raptor was in the same position as him, fighting for their lives, it was probably captured by the Galra form its home planet and was forced to fight in the arena like a rabid beast and Shiro just killed it's only companions who kept it company, it's brothers.

It wasn't a perfect world however, one would have to survive to live the next day and it had to be Shiro, he had to win this fight. 

Shiro took a step to the side, that was a big mistake; Shiro stilled as the raptor seized it's mourning and slowly lifted it's head to stare him down, the ruby eyes never once leaving Shiro's and what felt like eternity, it took a few steps back.

It wasn't backing down, it was getting ready to attack. The raptor's let out a unholy screech and it echoed the arena, the Galra heightened their screaming and cheered on the raptor. Shiro stumbled back when it's mouth started salivating, then with low growl it charged at him.

It was much faster before and without a sword Shiro was helpless, he quickly jumped over the offending tail and barely missed the claws hand reaching for him, Shiro turned around and quickly looked around to grab something to it it with while the Raptor confused raptor turned around and went to charge at him again.

Spotting a stone resting against a pillar, Shiro ran for it. Shiro grabbed the heavy stone and ran around the pillar, the raptor skidding awkwardly around the pillar, the unevenness of one sword stuck through one head while the other dangled put the raptor off balance. Shiro raised the stone over his head and flung it, it landed on the hanging raptor's head knocking it clear off, while the raptor was distracted by it's brother's head falling off, Shiro ran to grab the sword.

Shiro barely had the sword out when the Raptor jumped up and planted it's feet on Shiro's chest, shoving him down. Not even a second later the raptor was on him, Shiro screaming in pain as the raptor bit down on his right arm, the pain was too much and Shiro couldn't lift his other arm to kill the head.

The raptor's planted one foot on Shiro's chest, keeping him flat on his back as it ripped through the muscle of Shiro's arm. It hurt, it felt like he was on fire and it felt like death was just knocking on his door. Somehow, with the raptor mauling at his arm and one leg keep him down, Shiro lifted his arm and jabbed at the raptor's leg, it pulled away from Shiro's arm with a screech, blood stained his mouth and muscle hanging from his mouth.

Shiro used whatever strength he had left and shoved the sword in the raptor's mouth as it screeched at him, like his brother the sword came out form it's head. The raptor stumbled back and let out moans of pain, finally it stumbled to his knees and fell to it's side, mouth open in a silent scream with a sword in it's mouth.

 _I'm sorry, I'm sorry._ Shiro thought, the creature was just like him, fighting to survive. Shiro screamed past his gritted teeth and looked over to his right and screamed at his mauled arm, it was barely recognizable as an arm and he never felt this kind of pain before.

Two guards came running in and Shiro screamed again when they lifted him up, his arm dangling limp at his side as they dragged him off, the blood from his arm leaving a trail from the dead raptor to the end of the arena where he was led to a medical bay.

They strapped him down and there was a druid there, along with a women in a cloak, a hood over her face and her white hair fell down her shoulders. Ulaz was there as well, a mask over his mouth, he watched the procedure carefully.

"Wh-what are you doing to me!" Shiro shouted feeling the pain disappear from his arm, they ignored him and Shiro screamed at them again, finally Ulaz came forward, with a blade and handed it to the women.

"Champion, finally being able to see you. Lotor has told me many things about you, very strong I see. You should be proud, I never waste my time on pathetic creatures like you; but seeing you battle today made me realize that you can be so much more. One of the greatest weapon in Zarkon's hold and you will do great things in deed" the witch whispered and placed it hand on Shiro's forehead.

"No-no-no-no!" Shiro screamed when he saw the knife coming towards him, "Stop!"

The witch started mumbling under her breath and Shiro felt the pain increase in tenfold, the pain making him effortlessly passing out but not before he saw the druid slice off his arm.

* * *

 

"Lucky you" Lotor drawled entering his bedroom, the whore was cleaned up and kneeling on his bed wearing nothing besides his jewelry. The whore said nothing and Lotor brought his hair in a ponytail and slipped out of his armor until he was naked. He climbed into bed and slide under the covers, "well come now, don't be shy" Lotor teased lifting the covers so Kilit could climb under.

"Is this not much better? I could easily send you straight back to your chambers but it is rather a cold night in the ship and I know I easily you get cold" Lotor murmured running his hands down the curved of Kilit's hip and down onto his thighs, clenching at the thick muscle.

Lotor hummed and pressed his face into Kilit's chest, "you have a chest like a woman" Lotor whispered bring his hand up and flicking at the pert purple nipple. It was a lie, Lotor knew that Kilit trained regularly in the training lounge. Kilit just had sensitive nipples, the only reason he wore such loose clothing. He just loved teasing the younger Galra.

"Did the champion play with your chest as well?" Lotor asked dragging Kilit closer, pressing his deliciously firm body against his, Kilit didn't answer but the dark purple flush on his cheeks gave him away. Lotor smirked and he licked a strip up Kilit's neck to his jaw.

"Do not worry little kit, once the champions dead you will forget about him" Lotor said softly and gently pushed Kilit on his stomach and climbed on top of him. Lotor admired Kilit's body and pushed himself on his knees and used his hands to spread Kilit's cheeks, he groaned when he saw the puffy pink hole, swollen from his abuse before.

"Such a wonderful body" Lotor murmured, his lower section leaking when Kilit's hole clenched. "Come now, relax" Lotor snapped giving Kilit's bum a gentle slap, he grunted when Kilit's hole relaxed and he used the claw on his thumb to run along the soft pink wrinkles.

Kilit squirmed and Lotor gave him another slap on the cheek and continued on his tickling assault on Kilit's hole. Kilit was openly panting now, his warm cheeks pressed against the cold pillows. Lotor smirked when Kilit started loosening up and his hole peeked open and warm, clear, sweet scented liquid oozed out steadily out of his hole.

Lotor praised Kilit and used his other hand to run along his thigh, Kilit whined and arched his back. "Oops, did I make you wait?" Lotor teased when Kilit's hole winked at him more liquid easing out.

Lotor leaned over and pressed both of his thumbs inside Kilt's hole and spread it wide making the whore moan loudly at the sudden spread of his muscles. Lotor eased himself in and rested his chest on Kilit's back, burrowing him deeper into the bed, his face smothered in the pillow.

Lotor pulled out a few inches and slammed right back in, still pressing his body down onto Kilit. He did it again and again, this way he was pleasuring himself while also keeping the whore smothered in the bed.

Kilit lifted his head and gasped for air, he shoved one of the pillows so the side and hissed when Lotor started thrusting violently in short rapid thrust, his hole was already sore and he was sure that he was going to bleed.

Kilit gasped when he felt the bumps on Lotor's lower half grow, they only grew when they felt pleasure and this was one of them. Kilit whined jerked into the hold when the bumps on Lotor's lower half started rubbing inside of him.

He hated the feeling, he wanted it gone.

Lotor hissed and felt his release hit him like a sword in his gut, he emptied himself in Kilit's hole and relaxed his body over Kilit. He didn't care if Kilit could properly breath or not, Lotor relaxed himself, his overlapping Kilit, only his legs between Lotor was visible.

"Air" Kilit gasped lifting his head but Lotor used a large hand and shoved Kilit's face back down and started grinding into him. Kilit's whine was muffled and Lotor snickered, "you like this" Lotor whispered pulling his hand away and Kilit lifted his head and gasped for air. Lotor eased his movement and rolled over off of Kilit, Lotor hissed when he pulled free from Kilit's hole, his limp cock exposed in the cold air.

"Remember that you are mine" Lotor murmured pulling the blanket over him, Kilit clenched his fist into the satin bed sheets. Kilit didn't say anything, he was lucky that Lotor had fallen asleep so he didn't hear the response from Kilit or the lack of therefore.

Kilit scooted until the was sitting on the edge of the bed, he kind of scared but he eventually reached down and ran his fingers along his hole and shivered, it was defiantly swollen and raw. It hurt but Kilit had felt another kind of fear roll over him.

_Shiro probably hates me._

* * *

 

Shiro woke up to a piercing headache and no feeling on his right arm, he felt nauseous and every single sound hurt him even when it was his own breathing it hurt his ears. The side hatch slide open and the creak echoed through Shiro's ears, he groaned and scrunched up his face in pain, there was a loud click as if a plate being set down then the hatch creaked shut again. Shiro gasped out and instantly shut his mouth because his gasp echoed through his ears, Shiro pulled the covers his head and willed himself to calm down by taking deep breaths, breath in for 7 seconds breathing out for 7 seconds.

Shiro felt light headed after the exercise and brought up his hands to cover his ears but when he felt cold metal touch his right ear, he pulled back his hand and snapped his head over to his right.

A metal hand, with metal fingers, the metal ran down his arm and ended at his bicep. Shiro stared in horror as the metal fingers started wiggling and bending at his own will, Shiro laughed weakly and covered his mouth with his human hand, he felt his eyes prick and his headache coming back.

Shiro dropped his metal hand and curled onto his side, his back away from the door. A second later the door hissed open and Shiro ignored the searing pain in his head and sat up, he glared at Sendak who walked over and released the chain from the wall and dragged Shiro out, "where are you taking me!?" Shiro cried, Sendak ignored him and Shiro tugged on the chain.

"Answer me! where are you taking me!"

Sendak dragged him down towards the medical bay where two druids were waiting for him, "get off of me!" Shiro shouted, Sendak shoved him over to the table and they strapped him down. "How are you feeling champion?" one of them asked.

Shiro snapped his head over to them and glared, "why do you care" he hissed. "We need to know if the arm transplant was a success, you are the first species to have a Galra tech arm. You should be grateful" the druid said.

"Grateful! I should be grateful! I shouldn't be here in the first place, I should be back at my home planet, none of these prisoners should be here!"

"Quite you! Emperor Zarkon is doing what is best for the universe, making sure on the best survive and the best are the Galra!"

"You won't get away with this, one day someone will be strong enough to stop Zarkon and take back the universe!" Shiro growled, the druid's eyes narrowed and raised his eyes to smack Shiro on the face, "you better watch your tongue. threatening our emperor will cause in death, and in brutal way that you will be begging for mercy."

* * *

 

"I have another meeting with my father, I'll have Sendak send you over to the prisoner" Lotor said getting up from his bed, he used a wet towel to wipe at his cock and used another to wipe away the sweat from his body.

Kilit watched him get dressed and pick off a piece of meat from his left over breakfast. Kilit sat up and ignored the pain in his lower back, Lotor was just about to leave when Kilit cleared his throat.

"Do you need something whore?" Lotor asked smoothly pushing his hair back, Kilit frowned and slide off the bend and knelt down on his knees. "Please My Prince...may I eat now?" he asked, Lotor snorted and walked back over so he was standing a few inches away from the kneeling whore.

"Why should I allow that?" he asked.

"I have had a single scrape of food from two nights ago, Prince Lotor I am very hungry, please-please let me eat" Kilit begged bowing his head.

"You think you are worthy for my left overs?" Lotor demanded, lifting his foot and tapping on Kilit's knuckles.

"I am not but My Prince I'm begging you, please let me eat anything, I do not care what it is just let me eat food" Kilit pleaded.

Lotor sighed and walked over to his left over meat, he brought the plate over to Kilit, he slowly tilted the plate and let the meat slices drop to the floor silently, then jabbed the hell of his boot on each of the meat slices and smiled sweetly at his whore who was staring down at the meat.

"Now where are my thanks? I have offered you my food" Lotor said, Kilit brought down his head and pressed his forehead to the floor. "Thank you" he said clearly, Lotor pressed the tip of his boot on Kilit's head and pressed down.

"Clean this mess up" he said smoothly and turned on his heel and left, Kilit waited until the door clicked shut before lifting his head and picking off the slices of squished meat, it did not matter how they tasted or even if there was left over dirt on the meat. It was something, he had not eaten in two quintent.

Kilit licked off the juices from his fingers and used a napkin to clean up the rest he could not eat, Kilit then waited in the Prince's room, he couldn't wait until he left this wretched place.

* * *

 

Kilit was brought back to Shiro's prison cell, the door clicked shut behind him and it was just Shiro hidden under the sheet and Kilit standing by the door. Both were too scared to move, Kilit licked his dry lips and cleared his throat, "S-Shiro?" he called. Kilit had not fully healed yet, his left cheek was slightly swollen and an ugly yellow purple, there was a purple bruise under the curve of his left eye just above his cheekbones, a bruise on his temple and the left side of his lip had a crusted scar.

"Shiro" Kilit called again but more clearly, he took a step forward, another step until he was right beside the bed. Kilit knelt down and he ignored the pain on his bruised knees and shifted so it was less uncomfortable. "Shiro" Kilit whispered pressing his human hand on Shiro's body, it tensed under the covers and Kilit retreated his hand.

"I-I am sorry you had to see my disgusting state the time before your battle, it must have been so grotesque and I understand if you do not want to touch me again because you must have realized that not only you have touched me but so has the prince and many more on this ship, I also understand that you do not want to see me again. I will still try help you escape but I understand now that am not worthy to stand by your side or even behind you. I am not --" Kilit paused and he held back a sob, he quickly wiped away his tears from the back of his head. "I-" Kilit covered his mouth when his voice cracked, he quickly took a deep breath.

"I will be going now" he whispered and stood up slowly, he waited a tick for Shiro to move, to say something-anything but not a single word. Kilit clenched his hands and he knew that if this was the last time he will be seeing Shiro he had to say it and it did not matter if the feelings were returned.

"From when I first saw you, till a few quintets ago. We have seen each other every night and I have come to know so much about you and you know the same of me, you had brought hope to survive, I dreamed about the day we would escape, I dreamed of the planets we will visit, the flowers you would show me, I dreamed about how you home was like back in Terra. I dreamed of stars and the sun, the moon and most of all--I dreamed of you. I dreamed of our life once we escaped; and then I realized that my feelings are not just lust for you--I have also come to l-love you."

Kilit wiped his eyes and he tapped his fingers nervously against his thigh, he waited for Shiro's response.

"Can you go" It was quite but firm, Kilit understood.

"I will go" he whispered. Kilit felt like he was dying, his insides were cold and he could not stop the tears from dripping down his eyes, he turned around he walked back towards the metal door, he weakly knocked on the door. The door hissed open and Kilit blinked at the sudden light from the outside. Kilit froze when he saw Lotor waiting for him behind the door, "my pet, did you enjoy your time with the champion?" he asked, there was sick smile on his face and Kilit wanted nothing more to punch it right off of him.

"I thought you had a meeting with your father?" Kilit whispered, Lotor shrugged. "It was cut short, I was going to go back to my room when I heard the knock. I see the champion did not use you properly, tsk how shamefully of him" Lotor said cupping Kilit's cheeks.

"Come now, it's been a long morning. We can have lunch together" Lotor cooed running his thumb along Kilit's soft lips. "You look tired, I'm sorry I should have let you rest but I could not resist your wonderful body," Lotor teased.

Lotor waved to the guards and they closed the door shut and Lotor wrapped his arm around Kilit's waist and dragged him away.

* * *

 

Lotor used Kilit all day, he fucked him until he couldn't feel anything but pain in his body, he was sore and he was positive that his lower body was bleeding, there was dried semen on him and he picked it off once Lotor had passed out. Kilit looked at him and slowly climbed out of the bed, he grabbed his discarded cloths and sneaked out of the room and walked towards his own chambers.

Kilit used a washcloth and wiped away the dirt from his body and slipped on his nightwear, a long black gown, he stole it from a cargo ship just like he stole the vial of aroma. The fabric was thick and it kept him warm during the nights it was even full sleeves and he would snuggle in his hanging cot and fall asleep comfortably.

He slipped climbed onto his hanging cot and fluffed up his flat pillow the best he could and pulled the sheet over him. Just as he was about to sleep he heard the alarms go off. Kilit yelped and fell off the bed, he groaned when he bruised body hit the floor.

_"Prisoner escape! Prisoner escape!"_

Kilit ears perked up and he quickly opened his secret compartment, it pulled out his old sack and stuffed in his knife, the vial and the rest of his trinket he saved over the past years. Shiro was escaping and maybe that's why he didn't talk to him before, maybe it was a code or something but this was his chance.

Kilit pushed open his chambers and ran down the hallway to the upstairs, he dodged past the guards until he saw the pods only a few meters away. Kilit's heart leaped when he saw Shiro he did pause when he saw the bionic arm instead of his real one and the tuft of his hair was fully white instead of sparse.

"Shiro!" Kilit cried running further down the hall, Shiro couldn't hear him. "Shiro!" Kilit called louder picking up his face, Kilit yelped when he tripped over his gown. Kilit shook his head and quickly look up.

"Shiro over here!"

_Why wasn't he hearing him?_

"No-no-no" he murmured standing up quickly, Shiro had just pushed open the pod and when a guard came from behind and wrapped his arms around Shiro squeezing tight, Shiro screamed and Kilit pulled out his knife and was about to fling it at the guard when an explosion went off a few feet away, Kilit covered his face and crouched low.

When he looked up after the explosion and noticed the pod was gone, Kilit looked around frantically and stumbled forward. "Shiro?" he called, there was no answer and Kilit felt bile rise up and he whimpered and ducked his head low.

"Hey!"

Kilit looked up see a commander come his way, "si-sir" he called straightening up, "did you see anything?" he asked.

Kilit shook his head and then he noticed the sack the commander was holding. "You helped Shiro escape," he stated. "There's no way Shiro could've escaped on his own" he added.

The commander paused and looked around, the alarms were still blaring and the commander held out his hand. "I'm Ulaz, I was working undercover against Zarkon. You were Shiro's friend?" he asked. Kilit nodded and shook his hand, "I am Kilit, Lotor's servant and whore. Are you leaving? Take me with you please" Kilit pleaded.

"Stop them!" they looked behind them and saw Sendak and Lotor running down the hall, Ulaz quickly grabbed onto Kilit's arm and dragged him to the pod. Ulaz hit the close button and turned on the pod. Kilit held onto the control panel as the pod shot off, he looked out the window at the ship.

It had happened to fast, everything had happened to fast, he could barely comprehend what had just happened.

Kilit turned away from the fading ship and looked out, "are those--are those stars?" Kilit whispered staring at the sparkling white dots in the empty black space. Ulaz looked over at him and nodded, Kilit gasped and placed his a hand over his mouth.

He was free, he was finally free. Ulaz didn't say anything when Kilit started crying, he felt to his knees and pressed his forehead against the metal and cried. Once Ulaz was sure they were free from any Galra ship, he walked over and pressed a hand onto Kilit's shoulder, he looked up weakly and frowned at Ulaz.

"I know where Shiro went but it could be dangerous to look for him alone, for now I can take you with me," he said.

Kilit stared up at him and wiped his eyes, "yes please" he whispered standing back up and when he did his sack fell along with his knife and trinkets. Ulaz reached down to grab the knife and the cloth fell away.

"You--where did you get this knife?" he demanded, Kilit looked at him and shrugged. "I do not know, but I had it with me my whole life, ever since I could remember I had the knife with me" Kilit whispered, Ulaz looked at him then at the knife. "Then I can assume that one of your parents were part of the Blades."

Kilit took back the knife and stared at the sigil, "blades?" he asked, Ulaz nodded and walked back to his own sack and took out his knife, it looked just like Kilit's except bigger. "The Blade of Marmora are a secrete branch that's been hidden from the Galra empire for ages. You came call it a rebel group, we have been gathering information and have people working on the inside in hopes to take down the Empire and make the universe peaceful again. However we alone can not take down Zarkon alone, we need as many allies as we can get and most of all we need Voltron."

Kilit fingers tightened on the hilt of his dagger and he stared up at Ulaz, "I thought Voltron was just a child's tale" he whispered.

"No--that is why I had to let Shiro escape, on his home planet there is the first lion and then once Shiro finds it the actual war will start" Ulaz said, Kilit looked out and stared at the stars. "I figured that once we escaped we would roam the universe but I guess Shiro did not feel the same as me" Kilit whispered, he felt tears gather around his eyes again and he shook his head. Shiro did not feel the same, Shiro left him. Now Kilit had to just to keep looking forward and not in the past.

"By the way, you do not have to call me Kilit. My real name is Keith." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right...so it's not fully edited, so if you guys find any mistakes please tell me so I can fix them. I might have gone over on the commas -.- my bad.
> 
> Comments are really appreciated ;)  
> Kudos  
> Bookmarks as well :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE IT IS! Chapter 5! I was so excited for this chapter! oH my god you have you no idea!
> 
> EDIT: So after a gracious comment by 'nonamemanga' I realized that I didn't fully go in depth with Keith's healing process and I apologize for those waiting for chapter 6! I'm so so so sorry! but I DO feel that Keith deserved a chapter or two maybe even three of his healing process before being reunited with Shiro; again I'm so sorry :'<

The pod didn't really much space, there was a control panel where Ulaz channeled the small ship through space there were two seat in the ship, a main one where Ulaz sat and controlled the ship and another one attached to the wall where Keith himself sat. Other then that, there was nothing else. Meaning there was no place for him to hide to sleep.

Keith escaping with Ulaz was more of a desperate attempt to be free of Lotor and the rest of the Galra on the ship. There were only escape pods on the ship, those pod were for Lotor and the main commanders, the rest of the Galra were meant to die _'honorably'_ if something happened to the ship; it was sick mindset and Keith hated it, he hated all of the Galra.

He didn't even know of Ulaz was a safe choice to escape with even if he helped Shiro escape, Keith was still a hybrid whore.

"Stop squirming" Ulaz said his eyes never leaving the window, Keith stilled and he stuffed his hands under his thighs and stared down at his feet; he never realized how ugly his feet were until now, usually the ship had such dark lighting then he never noticed. His claws were an ugly dark purple that had yellow stuff crusted around his claws, his feet was two shades darker then his own skin, probably with the lack of cleaning and he had no shoes, the back of his feet had yellow plague stuck to it and they were swollen.

"My feet" Keith whispered.

"I know, we have to find read the Blades of Marmora so we can get them treated and its not just your feet, look at your hands"Ulaz said glancing over his shoulder, Keith pulled out his hands from under his thigh and tried not to whimper at the state of his hands, the claws were chips and there was yellow plaque growing around the edges.

"Wha-"

"-You weren't kept well, you were denied personal hygiene and in doing so you grew mold all over your feet and hands, besides you stink I'm trying not to throw up" Ulaz stated.

"Shiro..."

"The champion indeed smelled but he was given weekly baths, but you on the other hand are a different case" Ulaz said then tapped his long fingers over the keyboard, "we should reached the headquarters in a few vargas" Ulaz said then unbuckled himself.

"You should relax, you'll be taken care of soon" Ulaz added walking past him to the release chambers, Keith turned his hands over and grimaced when he saw the thin trail of yellow plaque between the crevices of his palms.

"What is the Blades of Marmora again?" Keith asked when Ulaz came out, "it's a hidden organization to fight against the Galra Empire, we have Galra working right under Zarkon's nose, they take information and send it back to the headquarters."

"Oh--um when did you guys form the group?" Keith asked reaching up to scratch his ears, there was dirt that caught under Keith's claws and Keith stared at it and hesitantly picked it out.

"We came together only after three thousands years after Zarkon's Empire took place, I was not born then but leader told us that during that time, Galra were told that we were spreading our skills and expanding our empire to help the other planets but it was far to late when some of realized that what we learned at school was entirely wrong. Zarkon only wanted to conquer the universe so it was under his control, he was after power and the greed turned him into a something so beastly that it was far too late."

"How-how long has it been since Zarkon as ruled, I do not know of any Galra living over 10 thousands years?" Keith asked.

"Zarkon has ruled over the universe for ten thousands years but that was when he conquered the universe and wiped the universe clean of any Alteans, he has lived longer then ten thousand."

"How? that's not possible, Alteans life line is over two thousand years and Galra are over three, how is he still alive?! He should have died out by now!" Keith exclaimed.

"Do you not think I know that!" Ulaz snapped turning around to glare at him. Keith froze and he quickly lowered his head and scrunched into himself as much as he could with the belts constricting him.

Keith heard Ulaz sigh and he dared himself to peek up, the large Galra was slouching in his seat and he tapped his claws against the control pane while staring out the window at the endless space, "I know but we have no idea how he survived his past life force, now what we have to worry about is finding out how to defeat him" Ulaz said softly.

Keith nodded and he clenched his claws around his night gown, he realized that was still wearing. Keith flushed and he peeked up again but not once did Ulaz look at him like Lotor or Sendak did, he looked over Keith's dirty appearance and his short gown.

Keith also realized from the sudden exhaustion that his fingers and toes started to ache, he leaned his head against the cold metal wall, he could feel his head pounding and the air around him felt heavy.

_"Ah"_

Ulaz looked over and his eyes widened when saw the small Galra panting heavily in his seat, he was twitched and his nails had punctured themselves into his thigh, blood was staining his dirty grown and blood was steadily dripping down his legs and dripping on the floor.

"Hey" Ulaz said going over and patted the sweaty Galra's cheek, he pulled away with a grimace when he saw his eyes turning a light yellow, Ulaz looked down at his fingers and he held in his stomach when he saw the yellow plague pulsing and weeping thick white liquid from it's pores.

"Stay strong, you've made it this far. Do not give up" Ulaz said firmly going back to his seat and used a little bit of the hyper power to sped things along, he needed the rest of the power to enter the headquarters, if not then they would be stuck until someone came out to get them and he did not know how long that was going to take.

* * *

 

Ulaz quickly landed the ship and and quickly snapped his belts off and went to grab the other Galra, he heaved up the trembling Galra and ran off the ship and entered the headquarters, he met up with Kolivan and Antok who came out running with their swords ready.

"It is I Ulaz, do not attack!" he shouted, they lowered their swords and then pointed to the trembling Galra, "who is he!" they growled.

"A very sick and abused Galra, we need to get him to the healing bay immediately" Ulaz ordered, but Antok stood in his way. "What are you two doing!" he growled, Kolivan shook his head "we cannot allow someone we do not know and trust in our sanctuary," they said.

"He is dying! Our vow is to take down Zarkon, we are to help any ally or any innocent life along the way! Trust me on this Leader he is _not_ an enemy of ours" Ulaz growled.

They paused for a split second before Antok moved out the way and Ulaz shoved past him, he ran inside and ignored the look the rest of the Blades were giving him, he reached the healing bay and laid him down on the table.

"What happened?!"

It was Rhea the head nurse, she glanced at Ulaz then at the boy. "He had been abused by Lotor and was denied any kind of hygiene or healing and now he is dying, Rhea you need to save him" Ulaz ordered.

"Ulaz this is beyond my powers, the boy's too far infected--"

"Rhea please--he needs your help and I trust you" Ulaz said placing his hands on her shoulders, she frowned and looked at the boy then sighed, "fine you need to leave. I'll have Grur clean you up, you have touched the boy with your bare hands and you will need to be cleaned as well" she said pushing him into the spare room.

Ulaz slumped on the small bed, he waited a while for Grur to come in and when she did there was a grimace on her face. "I cannot believe you" she muttered walking over to him, Ulaz lips twitched and he held out his arm for her to draw blood from.

"I cannot believe you helped the prisoner escape" she said injecting a thick needle in him and tapped on the small glass tube with her claw, "the champion is going to be a big part of saving the universe, they were going to kill him and Lotor had tortured the boy so much that I had to take him with me."

"Lotor?" Grur asked confused she put the tube in a long cylinder that was filled with clear liquid, the tube of blood sunk to the bottom and it stayed there until liquid cleared out the blood. "Prince Lotor had just been banished by his father" Grur said taking out the liquid with a long tool and placed it on a clean towel to dry off in.

"Banished? How? We escaped from him only a quintent ago?"

"The prisoner you helped escape--on his planet was the blue lion and Zarkon had told Lotor to find out where but you came along and messed things up and banished Lotor for his incompetence."

"Do you know where?"

"I know not but that's good then right, one evil Galra out of the way" Grur said opening the tube of blood and put three drops of healing liquid in there, the blood instantly turned clear and she walked back over to Ulaz.

"It is not good, nobody knows the whereabouts of Lotor and if we _do_ take down Zarkon and his empire, we would then have to find Lotor to take him down as well," Ulaz said. He watched as Grur skillfully inserted the liquid back into him that cleared out his system, "you are to be quarantined until Rhea tells you otherwise, there is a bath over there and put this on after your done and dispose of that hideous outfit in the bin beside the tub."

"Thank you--Grur one more thing. I know Kolivan will not tell me but did Thace get stationed?" he asked.

Grur smiled sympathetically, "he did" she said softly.

"...Where?"

"In Zarkon's main fleet, he works under a commander named Prorok" she said, Ulaz stared at her then his eyes narrowed.

"Kolivan promised me that he would not station Thace in Zarkon's ship" he growled, Grur frowned and she pressed against the door. "I do not know why but you will have to Leader about it" she said and opened the door and left.

Ulaz clenched his fist and he resisted the urge to slam his fist in the wall, Kolivan had broken many promises but this had topped the list.

* * *

 

"He is clean" Rhea said walking in, Ulaz had freshened up and was waiting on the small bed in his clean uniform. "It took a lot of effort but we did it, he's going to have to heal for a few quintets before he wakes, he must have a full rest before his brain starts working again" she said, Ulaz nodded and he got up and walked out of the door.

Keith was lying in the bed, the bed made of a largest Galra on the ship but considering the size of the hybrid, he looked like a small kit.

Keith looked clean and smelt clean, each finger and toe was individually wrapped, his stomach was wrapped as well along with the thighs, he looked peaceful sleeping in the small bed. "Thank you Rhea" Ulaz said turning to Rhea, she smiled at him and shrugged. "It was worth it, I had never seen a Galra so malnourished and abused before" she said softly walking over to him and running her nails through his soft black hair, it wasn't as matted before and much shorter considering the fact that they had to cut off his matted hair.

"I need to speak to Kolivan. Where is he?" Ulaz demanded, Rhea tilted her head and nodded towards the door. "You know he will be in the main control room, you should check there" she said.

Ulaz left the healing bay and stormed over to the control room where Antok was looking through Keith's bag with interest, "that is not yours" Ulaz said walking past him. Antok stuck out his long lizard like tongue at him and before pulling out a small vial and popping it open gently, he took one sniff and gagged before close it shut and stuffing it far down the bag.

"Kolivan" Ulaz greeted stiffly, Kolivan looked at him and waved off the other Galra surrounding him. "Ulaz, I am surprised I would see you this early. Though plans do change" he said. "Why did you send Thace to Zarkon's ship?" he demanded.

Kolivan narrowed his eyes and he walked over so he nose to nose with Ulaz, "you need to realize that we are in a then thousand year old war. You do not have time to hold relationships, you and Thace made that mistake and now he has been promoted to work undercover," Kolivan said calmly.

Ulaz glared at him and sneered his upper lip, "you promised me--"

"--Promises means nothing to me, Thace was the best choice out all the Blades on this ship and may I remind you that you do not work above me, I work above you and as Leader I made the right choice to send Thace over there. Thace has a part in this war, along with the prisoner you helped escape, the dirty Galra in the healing room, and you. We all have a part in this war and a single stupid mistake like your relationship can cost many lives" Kolivan growled softly.

"Ulaz, listen I understand that you are hurting but so am I, so are all of us. We all lost many of our families in the war and we are trying to stop it as fast as possible. I offered Thace the position and he agreed now please calm down and understand the situation the universe is in" Kolivan said calmly.

Ulaz took a step back and frowned, he turned on his heel and left the room, grabbing Keith's bag from Antok's hand and bringing it with him to his room, its going to be a long night.

* * *

 

When Keith woke up, he was blinded by the white lights above him, he whimpered and shut his eyes again. Then there was a soft hand running through his hair, the lights dimmed and he blinked his eyes open, he squinted up at the glowing yellow eyes and frowned. "Who-Where am I?" he asked well tried to, his voice was dry and he could barely form any kind of words, he ended up in a coughing fit that led him being sat up and propped against a strong arm while the female Galra brought a cup of water to his dry lips, he tried to lift his hand but he body wouldn't move.

"Drink now, everything's fine" she whispered softly tilting the cup into his open mouth, soft it dribbled past his lips and down his neck, Keith flushed embarrassingly and squeezed his eyes shut. Then the cold sweet water hit is dry throat and he swallowed it eagerly, his mouth chasing the cup as he pulled away.

"Not too much _lovupo_ you cannot drink much water on an empty stomach" she said gently laying right back down.

 _Lovupo,_ he heard that phrase before almost like in a dream a fading memory, a women with a very soothing voice.

" _Hush now my luvupo, they'll find you"_

Keith had that dream many times but never put much thought into it, Keith tilted his head and blinked at the female Galra, she did not look threatening Lotor or Sendak, her face was more smooth with big yellow eyes, a thick nose, small lips that was put in a smile, her hair was like this but much longer and pulled into a braid that fell over her shoulder.

"How are you feeling now _luvupo_?" she asked softly brushing the bangs from his eyes, Keith's eyes fluttered from her soft touch. "I do not know, I cannot feel my body" he said, the Galra nodded and got up from her spot, Keith instantly felt the lost from her gentle touch.

"You should be sore for more Dobashes, then you should starting feeling around your fingers and toes" she said then grabbed his hand, "can you feel that?" she asked. Keith shook his head, he couldn't even lift his head without her help.

"Easy now, your probably won't feel your muscles until another Dobash or so" the Galra said coming over, "where am I?" he rasped out.

"Your at the Blades of Marmora, Ulaz brought you here. You had an virus that was killing you from the inside" she said picking up a warm wet cloth and placed it on his head, "does that feel good?" she asked.

"Very much--thank you" Keith murmured feeling his eyes droop from exhaustion, the fingers were back in his hair and he shut his eyes hearing her soft crooning his ear and for the first time he's been alive, he finally felt safe and warm even more so when he was with Shiro, this was a different kind of warm feeling, he didn't know how to describe but he liked it.

"Get some rest, I will be right here when you wake up" the Galra said her voice taking a much more gentle tone and it lulled Keith right to sleep.

* * *

 

The next time Keith woke up he was in pain, it felt like his whole body was one fire, he scrunched up his face and started whining and squirming his in discomfort. "Easy, easy" it was the same voice from before, Keith felt a sharp sting on his right arm and then within two ticks the pain vanished, he blinked open his eyes and he stared up at the female Galra and Ulaz staring down at him.

"Glad to see you survived" Ulaz said, the female Galra gave him a dirty look and helped him sit up, his back pressed against many pillows and he was handed a white small bowl filled with brown liquid.

"This is will be your food for until tomorrow, I will have Grur send in your food every Varga and you must finish all of it. This broth will bring strength to your muscles and bones" she said.

"Thank you Rhea" Ulaz said, "I need to check on the kitlings but for now Ulaz keep him company until I return" Rhea said grabbing a small back and heading out the door. Keith brought the bowl to his mouth and took a little sip, it tasted like meat and it felt warm running down the back of his throat, heating up his body from the inside. Keith took another sip and curled his toes, he had never tasted anything so good before.

The problem was that the bowl was so small that Keith finished it within a few ticks and he turned the bowl upside down and frowned, "you will get another helping within a Varga" Ulaz said watching Keith lick the inside of the bowl.

Keith stopped and quickly placed the bowl down between his legs and flushed, he had forgotten that the giant Galra was still in the room with him. "I-um--Thank you for saving me" Keith murmured twirling a curl with his forefinger.

Ulaz grunted and he sat down on the chair that Rhea was sitting before, "what position did you have in Lotor's ship?" he asked curiously. Keith flushed and he pulled up his knees to his chest to make himself appear smaller then before, "I was in his harem..." Keith murmured trailing off.

Ulaz cleared his throat and looked away, "I see" he said. Keith glanced back down at his taped up fingers, he looked at his toes and noticed that it looked the same as his fingers, he was stripped clean of his dirty night gown and was currently wearing pants that stopped at his knees leaving the rest of his body bare.

"If I was so dirty and infected--why did Lotor use me?" Keith asked, Ulaz looked over at him and he frowned.

"While preforming you cleansing, Rhea found a stone claw in your stomach, the stone was cursed and its link was attached towards Lotor and I assume when you broke that link by leaving the ship, the curse stopped working and your body caught up with your lack of hygiene and sickness that built up from your time on the ship."

"Oh"

"Any more questions?" Ulaz asked, Keith shook his head and he tucked his arms between his knees and chest. "Do you know how long has it been since we escaped?" Keith asked.

"I thought you said you did not have any more questions" Ulaz said his yellow eyes narrowing subconsciously.

"Sorry" Keith murmured, Ulaz jaw ticked and he stared ahead "it's been around 8 quintets" he said and got up suddenly, Keith tensed and he watched as Ulaz took a few steps towards him and check at his wrapped wounds.

"I was sure you would wait until my wounds have healed" Keith blurted, he held back a whimper when Ulaz turned his glare towards him, "what?" he demanded.

"T-to use-use me" Keith stuttered, Ulaz calmly sat down and he folded his arms tightly across his chest, "do you want me to?" he asked. Keith looked down and at his knees but didn't say anything, Ulaz asked him again, "do you want me to?"

Keith bit his lip and shook his head stiffly, "you are not part of Lotor's Harem anymore, you are in a safe space and no one will treat you with such disrespect, do you understand?" Ulaz said gently.

Keith could feel the tears gather up in his eyes and Ulaz said nothing as he watched the small droplets of tears plop on the white sheet. "You should rest" Ulaz said, it was too much for the young Galra to take in, first being denied basic affection then forced into Lotor's harem and finally being blessed with kindness from a Galra was too much.

"You should rest" Ulaz said again, Keith nodded and he stretched his legs and laid back down on the bed and pulled the white sheet over is body until it bunched under his eyes, his taped fingers curled onto the top of the sheets.

"I will be right here when you wake or Grur will be here, you will not be alone" Ulaz said, Keith stared up at him and blinked once and Ulaz stared right back.

"Eyes shut" Ulaz ordered and Keith obediently shut his eyes, Ulaz waited until the Galra kit relaxed and he fell into a deep sleep, his breathing a steady pace. Grur had chose that moment to enter the room with a handful of medical tapes and a tub of cream to sooth the wounds.

"You are going to have to wait till he wakes" Ulaz said turning back to Keith. "He is awfully small for a Galra" Grur said putting down the tapes and tub, she walked over and smiled weakly at Keith, "the kit is a hybrid" Ulaz stated.

If Grur was surprised she didn't show it, she just pushed back a lock of black hair from his closed eyes, "what is his other half then?" she asked pulling back her fingers and walking over to pick up the tablet from the counter.

"He's half human," Ulaz said. Grur paused from her tapping against the tablet and looked over at Ulaz with a hint of worry in her eyes, "human? You mean he's like the champion you helped escape?" she asked.

"Maybe that is why he was treated far worse then any other slave or whore" Ulaz said rubbing his chin. Grur looked over at the sleeping kit and frowned, "you do realize hybrids have a low chance of surviving. Hybrids are very rare and they die in an early age, I am just surprised that he lived this long" Grur said tapping her chin with a finger.

"I do not worry myself over such stupid thoughts" Ulaz muttered, Grur huffed and she walked over and flicked the Galra's pointed ears, "you have ears like an Altean. Are you a hybrid as well?" she teased.

Ulaz glared at her and she wrinkled her nose at him and walked back to the tablet, "although I do not know why Hybrids don't live that long, they have more power then any pure breed, they have the power of two creatures combined in one" she said.

"It is because a single body cannot handle two body types combing into one, the brain just shuts down and the hybrid ends up dying" Ulaz said answering her question.

"Hmm--a pity" Grur murmured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now to work on chapter 6 ;)  
> EDIT: So I deleted the original chapter 5 and added this one, hope you guys like it cause I LOVE it! Like I didn't realize I need this until I wrote it! :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ CHAPTER 5 BEFORE READING THIS--I updated a whole different chapter 5 so for those who already read chapter 5 you need to read it again because it is different.

Through the next few Vargas, Keith would occasionally wake to drink his meals and exercise moving his toes and fingers, he was still cautious around the Galra even the one with the soothing voice who was currently changing his bandages, "looks like your healing pretty fast" she said running a gentle finger over his large toe, the claws were clipped off and filed down to nubs everyday so it was easier for them to wrap his toes and fingers.

"Will they grow back?" Keith asked his pinky toe twitching when she rubbed cold cream over it, Grur nodded and grabbed the bandages and wrapped his foot carefully before moving onto his thigh, it was still a bit swollen around the edges of his puncture wounds but other then that it was fine and almost healed.

"We should let this one breath now, I think within another Quintent it should be fine" Grur said moving onto his stomach where they took out the cursed claw, there was a huge scar going horizontal on his belly, it was a bright pink and fleshy.

Ulaz entered with a tablet in his hand and he was looking intently at it, "look at this" he said holding the tablet close to Grur, she glanced over and smiled, "looks like they found it. The universe is going to get better soon, we should all celebrate" she said grinning.

"You think Kolivan will let us--even in the future if we do defeat Zarkon, he will not even let us" Ulaz said snorting pulling up a chair and sitting beside Keith's head.

"Found out?" Keith asked, Grur grabbed his hands and used her nails to cut through the bandages, "they found Voltron" she stated.

"Who?"

"The champion and his friends" she said.

_Champion--meaning Shiro_

"Shiro? He's back in space? I thought he went home?" Keith asked quietly, 

Grur looked over at Ulaz and he stiffly shook his head, Grur ignored him and smiled gently at Keith who was frowning at the white sheets.

"He did go back home but somehow his friends found the blue lion and they were transported to a planet named Arus which awoke the only two living Alteans in the universe" Grur said, Keith looked up curiously, "Alteans? I thought they were wiped clean" he said.

"So did we but it looks like Zarkon did not do a good job of doing that" Grur said taking a dollop of cream and rubbed it along Keith's fingers. "So they formed Voltron?" Keith asked, Grur nodded "they did and it looks like they saved Planet Arus as well" she said and waved her hand, "enough of them. You need to learn how to stand on your own two feet again" she said standing up.

"Come now, let us see how your two legs work" she said gently tugging on Keith's hands, Keith himself sat up and twisted his legs so they were dangling off the edge of the bed, with a steady breath he slid off and gasped when his legs gave away and he fell to his knees.

"That is alright, let us try again" Grur said gently when she saw the flush on his cheeks, reaching down to grab his hand in hers, Keith's fingers twitched and he grasped on tightly when she pulled him up, he fell against her chest and his legs wobbled.

"I do not think that this is going to work, he needs to work on his leg movements before he tries to walk" Ulaz commented, Keith nodded frantically and Grur sighed. Keith made a surprised sound when Grur grabbed him by the waist and lifted him back on the table with ease.

"Alright then, straighten one leg" Grur said tapping her finger on his left leg. Keith obeyed her command and straightened his leg as he could, "Do that ten more times then hold it for five ticks" she said.

"Oh and while your doing that, squeeze this object in your hands ten times as well" Grur said handing him two orange balls that Keith grasped in each hand.

That's how their exercise would go, for each quintent they would do two vargas of exercise, it was tiring and frustrating because he felt like a child again, he felt like he was useless and his pride and ego as a Galra was bruised.

However it got better, he started getting real food instead of liquid meals, the head nurse Rhea was kind as well, she was far more strict then Grur but still as nice; they would occasionally make jokes with him, even though most of the times he didn't laugh they still were friendly.

And by the end of the fifth quintent since he woke up, Keith could now move around the small room; It was only when Ulaz was in the room when Keith pretended to be asleep, he still didn't feel comfortable around the large Galra.

"Kolivan would like to speak with you" Grur offhandedly said one day, Keith froze and one finger in his mouth he stared wide eyed at Grur.

"Oh" he said softly after a while, he pulled his finger out of his mouth and went to pick up another piece of meat before stuffing it in his mouth again.  "What if I do not wish to see him?" Keith asked, Rhea's eyes narrowed and she pointed her finger at him.

"Kolivan granted you this sanctuary, it is his right to see you and--"

"--Rhea stop. Keith, Kolivan is our trusted leader and he gave us this safe space away from Zarkon and his allies, please do not make this difficult" Grur said calmly. Keith nodded stiffly, keeping his eyes away from Rhea, Grur noticed and ushered Rhea out of the room and went to get Keith ready for the meeting.

Grur brushed his hair and pulled it back with with a loose ponytail, Keith waited as Grur brought him clean new black body suite, she helped him put it on and zip it up from the back, then she handed him a small black cape that reached below his butt, she tied it around his neck and he felt a bit warmer then needed.

Keith was about to complain when Grur mentioned before that it was far colder out there then in the room, so he clenched his jaw and let Grur drag him out of the room for the first time. There were other Galra's around the area, moving around as if they had a purpose. Keith kept his eyes downward as he could feel their eyes on him and he could ear their whispers fluttering in the air.

_"Is that him?"_

_"He is rather tiny for a Galra"_

_"Ulaz mentioned he was a hybrid"_

_"Kind of ugly too"_

_"Shh he can hear you!"_

_"His ears are too big for his body"_

_"His skins light too"_

"Ignore them" Grur said, Keith nodded and he pressed closer to Grur as she led him up the stairs and towards a huge door, "he is inside, I'll be waiting right here" Grur said.

Keith nodded and Grur walked tot he side and pressed her hand against the black pad, it light up purple and the doors slowly opened just a bit for him to squeeze through. "Be strong, nothing will happen" Grur said after him, Keith nodded and he clenched his fist beside him before walking in.

Kolivan was defiantly far scarier looking then Ulaz, he looked far more older as well, with wrinkles under his yellow eyes and around his frowning lips, he had red markings on his bare forehead and a thick white braid falling over his shoulder and ending near his waist, there was huge scar that fell across his left eye.

"Come closer" Kolivan ordered, Keith stiffly walked forward and kept his eyes on Kolivan's braid instead of looking him in the eye, he was too scared to do so. "What is our name Kitling?" he asked, there was no gentle tone behind it.

"K-Keith" he stuttered instantly looking down, "Look at me when I talk to you" Kolivan ordered. Keith clenched his fist in his cape and willed himself to look up at Kolivan, "what rank were you in Lotor's ship?" he asked.

"Si-sir?"

"Do _not_ stutter are you Wiznark that cannot speak correctly, you are a Galra and now act like it!" Kolivan growled.

Keith flinched and he squeezed his eyes shut, Kolivan growled and he walked forward till he was only a foot away from Keith, "did I not just say to look at me when I speak" Kolivan said crossing his arms and staring down at the trembling Galra.

Keith shook his head and kept his eyes shut, Kolivan let out a angry huff and he grasped onto Keith's shoulder tightly and brought him closer, Keith let out a whimper and his legs gave out. Kolivan released the Galra and stared down in confusion as he started to whimper on the floor.

The doors opened and Ulaz stormed in, "what are you doing?" he hissed coming over and standing in front of Keith, "did you touch him?" he demanded. Kolivan's eyes narrowed and his lips pulled up in a snarl, "does it matter?" he asked.

"Yes it does! You do _not_ touch him until _he_ tells you to, do not treat him like a solider Kolivan, he was not raised as a solider. You cannot treat every Galra you meet like a solider because they are not, you might have been raised like a soldier but he was not and many of the Galra living here were not. This Galra went through many forms of abuse on that ship by a  _Galra,_ by his own kind! You have called him here to interrogate him alone after just being healed from his abuse!"

Ulaz turned around and knelt next to Keith, "can you get up?" he asked gently. Keith was still crying but he nodded and slowly got up, he wiped his tears with the back of his hand. "Come now, I will have a word with Rhea and Grur" Ulaz said and motioned his hand over to the door.

Keith looked up at Ulaz who was waiting for him calmly and he snatched onto the only courage he had and reached out to grasp Ulaz's hand tightly, Ulaz froze but he didn't comment or look down at Keith, he led him out of the room and the door shut behind him.

"Did I tell you not to bring him to Kolivan" Ulaz said to Grur who looked away guiltily, "I did but Kolivan was very persistent" she said. "Never mind that, I will bring Keith into his new room and I will have a word with Kolivan in private" Ulaz said, Grur nodded and Ulaz led Keith down the hall and up the stairs to a new sector of the building.

"Here are the rooms of all the Galra living room, do not worry there is hand print ID so nobody else can enter the room besides you" Ulaz said reassuringly. 

Keith nodded and Ulaz led him to a door, with Ulaz's encouraging look he pressed his hand against the padlock and there was a thing white light that scanned his hands twice before beeping, the door opened and Keith peered inside, it was a small room with single bed pressed against the wall, all metal walls with a little table next to the bed with his sack resting on it. There was also a wall length mirror resting against the wall.

"It is nice" Keith commented releasing Ulaz's hand and stepping inside, Ulaz leaned against the door way and watched as Keith got comfortable, first he tested out the bed. Keith sat down and bounced a bit, he laid flat down on it and sighed. It was far more comfortable then the cot downstairs and his hanging bed in the ship. Keith got up and walked over to the mirror and stared at himself, he was surprised at what he saw.

The mirror on the ship barely gave off his reflection but this was clear and he didn't realize how skinny and small he looked. Keith turned his head to the side and saw the scar Lotor gave him the first night he arrived. Lotor had ran his claw along Keith's neck and watched him bleed all night begging for help.

Keith blinked and used his hair to cover the scar and turned around to see Ulaz keeping an eye out for any nosy Galra trying to peep in, "thank you" Keith stated and quickly lowered his head when Ulaz looked at him confused.

"Th-thank you for before--I know I am weak and I want to get stronger" he confessed and glanced at Ulaz, the Galra didn't show any emotion on his face and Keith said it again. "I do not want to be afraid all the time" he added.

"I will teach you and I am sure over time your wounds will heal and you will not flinch at the most sudden movement but do not forget that the torture you went through will not fully go away, even in the future if we do defeat Zarkon and his allies but you will still remember that pain that Lotor put on you" Ulaz said, "I am not trying to be harsh but it is the truth and that is the first step on becoming strong" he added and nodded his head, "I will leave you to your rest for tonight" he said moving away from the door.

The door slide shut and Keith walked over to his bed and climbed under the cold covers, he used one of the pillows to hug while trying to fall asleep, he knew that the memories would stay and that scared Keith very much.

* * *

 

"Now the first step is balance kitlings" a female Galra said holding out hers arms and lifting one leg balancing her whole body on one leg, the kitlings around him tried to do so but most of the fell to the ground, Keith frowned as he one fell against his leg. "Sorry!" he cried and climbed back to his feet and tried again.

"You are doing it wrong" Keith commented when the kit fell down again, the kit frowned and stuck his tongue out at him. Keith made a shocked sound and face forward, _rude little kit_  he thought and ignored him when he fell down again.

Ulaz was sitting behind the teacher and watching closely as Keith stood in the middle of small kitlings trying to find balance on one leg, it was a rather amusing sight but he did not dare to smile in case Keith got insecure or upset.

"Try harder kitlings, if you feel like you are about to fall bend your knees a bit" Teacher said walking over to help some of the struggling kits, "now switch to your other foot" she calling picking up a kit from the ground and pressed a hand on her back to help her balance.

Keith switched to the other foot and looked down when the kit beside him was holding onto his cape while trying to balance on the other leg, "that is not fair" Keith said. The kit stared up at him and frowned, "if you know everything why are you here then!" he demanded.

Keith stared down at the boy with a long white hair pulled into two short braids, yellow eyes and thin red lines coming down from each eye and ending at his collarbone in a loop. "I have to get stronger and to do that I need to start from the beginning" he answered.

The kit frowned, "but are you not older then me? Should you not be stronger then?" he asked. "I am not, I never learned" he said.

"Why?"

"Enough questions" Keith said looking ahead again, he ignored the tug on his cape. "Why" the kit was whining now and was now using his tiny fist to thumb against Keith's thigh, Keith shut his eyes to calm himself before answering, "you are a nosy little kit" he said and opened his eyes to see the kit frowning up at him.

"Where I used to live before did not allow me to learn" he said, the kit frowned and he moved away, "well that is rather stupid" he muttered.

"It is rather stupid" Keith agreed smiling down at the kit, the kit himself looked away quickly then glanced back up at him and grinned, a wide grin with two of his fangs missing. Keith licked his dry lips and smile down at him.

"What is your name?" the kit asked asked moving the balance to his other foot.

"I am Maur" Maur said and finally finding balance on his leg, he wobbled for a second but he stayed firm on his leg.

"I am Keith."

Maur frowned and he did a twirl and skipped in front of Keith, "your name is rather weird. It is not a Galra name" he stated.

"It is not" Keith said, Teacher clapped her hands and everyone looked up and Maur skipped back over to his spot, "now onto the next exercise, keep the balance on one leg and this time put the other straight forward, toes pointed!" she instructed doing an example.

"I do not like teacher" Maur said copying her, Keith did the same and he had more better balance then a small kit.

"What is your name from then?" Maur asked hopping over and grabbing Keith's cape for balance. "I do not know but all I know that it was my name my parents gave me" Keith answered, Maur hummed and he stuck his tongue out at the teacher when she wasn't looking. "Can you not ask them? Are they here with you?" he asked.

"I do not have parents" Keith answered, Maur frowned and he looked up at Keith then back down at his own feet, "really?" he asked tilting his head. Keith nodded and he switched his feet so his other foot was pointing out.

"We are the same then!" Maur exclaimed jumping up and down grinning wildly, there was a loud cough and they both looked up to see teacher staring at them with a glare, "Maur that you know how to do the exercise since you are talking" teacher said then snapped her fingers "come here and show everyone" she said it was a taunt and Maur could've easily ignored her but Maur stuck out his chin and stomped over.

Maur stuck out his tongue in concentration and lifted his leg straight out while balancing on the other foot. Keith winced when he fell to his side with a loud thump, the kits around him giggled and teacher tsked her tongue.

"Instead of talking you should be exercising" she said helping up Maur, he squirmed out of her hold and ran back to his spot beside Keith.

"Again" teacher said.

Keith came every quintent for two vargas practicing in the room full of kits, the teacher was harsh and not at all kind even towards the kits, some of them ran off crying and were forced back by there parents.

"We are fighting a war, most of the kits are going to be soldiers once they grow and if we do defeat Zarkon before they fully grow, we have a lot of planets to take back from the Galra" Ulaz said one day.

Keith looked over to see teacher scolding Maur with a large stick, he was holding back his tears when she smacked the stick on the palm of his hands, "but are they not growing up too fast?" Keith asked when Maur went to the corner and cried.

"I guess so but how else are they going to survive--they only come here for two vargas and they have the rest of the day off to play and learn other material" Ulaz said when Keith frowned instantly.

"I suppose but is violence always the answer for obedience" Keith murmured, Ulaz looked over to the kitlings, "although I do understand parents scolding their kits for disobeying and a little smack here or there if they are not listening but _this_ they will remember and then they will think it is okay to hit their own kits for obedience" he added and put down his bowl of food before joining the kitlings with their exercise.

Ulaz frowned and he turned back to his tablet but those words kept ringing in his head and the next time he looked up he saw the teacher had smacked a little kit across her face when she couldn't hold the sword correctly and kept giggling with her friends.

Ulaz got up and snatched the stick from the teacher, she released the stick with a shock gasp. Ulaz knelt down and cupped the crying kit heated cheeks, "is it alright" he murmured. She blinked up at him and Ulaz glared at the teacher, "you are to teach them with kindness from now on, maybe if you were more gentle they would not disobey and run away more often, she is still a kitling and it is pretty obvious that they do not think like adult Galras" Ulaz said standing up.

The teacher looked away stiffly and did not meet Ulaz's eyes, "what did I say--is a that a yes or no?" Ulaz said lifting his chin and staring down at the teacher, she cleared her throat and nodded her head, "yes Ulaz" she said glaring up at him with her jaw clenched.

"I will monitor each session and if you lay a single hand on a kit I will let Leader hear about this" Ulaz said, the kits around him giggled and the teacher nodded before holding out her hand for her stick but Ulaz took it with him towards the back and sat down with it across his lap.

Keith met his eyes and he smiled, Ulaz lips twitched as well and he winked at Keith.

* * *

 

"Voltron took back a Balmeran planet" Ulaz said, Kolivan nodded and looked over at Keith standing beside Ulaz. Kolivan had returned that same day he yelled at the Galra and apologized, it was awkward but surprisingly the young kit forgave him and now he had grown, he was not always looking down, he met every Galra's gaze, his stance was better and a thin sword was strapped to his waist and his hands were currently folding behind his back and he was listen to every word Ulaz was saying.

"That is good then right?" Keith asked, Ulaz nodded and he turned to Kolivan; "however they are having trouble with the red paladin--Princess Allura of Altea is the current red paladin and she is not bonding with the red lion correctly or the red lion does not deem her worthy enough" he said.

"How do you know of this information?" Antok asked, "Thace had sent it to me" Ulaz said. Kolivan snorted and Ulaz tensed, "do you not think what you two are doing is dangerous!" he hissed. Ulaz glared at him and Kolivan crossed his arms stiffly "he is releasing information to you and we can easily get caught and so can he!"

"He is an intelligent solider is he not? Then why else would you send him over to Zarkon's fleet!" Ulaz snapped back, Kolivan hissed and Antok shifted a step towards the side away from Kolivan just in case he threw another fit.

"What other information of Voltron do you have?" Kolivan asked instead, Keith looked over at Ulaz when he shook his head "that is all I have for now" Ulaz said.

"You are dismissed."

Ulaz and Keith nodded their heads and walked out of the control room, once they were alone in the hallway Keith asked the question he's been wanting to for a long time, "who is Thace exactly?" he asked curiously.

"He was a close friend of mine" Ulaz said slowing down his steps, Keith frowned and he looked ahead "how close?" he asked.

Ulaz let out a weak laugh and he shrugged, "I suppose we were lovers" he answered.

"Were?"

"Are--I think I am not sure but we meet when I first arrived in the Blades, we became close friends and then it escalated--a decapheeb exactly. Then I was positioned into Lotor's fleet ages ago and we departed and now when I finally arrived back home he was departed to Zarkon's main fleet" Ulaz said.

Keith let his hand brush along Ulaz's for comfort and his lips twitched when Ulaz brushed his hand back, "do you think you will ever see each other again?" he asked.

"I am not sure but I do hope so--maybe you will see him later on" Ulaz wondered, they stopped at Keith's door and Ulaz cupped his cheeks, "listen to me--tomorrow you are going on your very first mission to gather some Leif from Planet Ruriot, get some rest and be careful" he said.

Keith nodded and Ulaz turned around and left to go to his own room, the door shut behind Keith and he toed off his boots and walked over to the connected bathroom and washed his face with a warm cloth, he peeled off his body suite and wore his sleeping suite and climbed into his cold bed.

Keith hopped that his mission would be sucessful so he could show Kolivan and Ulaz that he grew and can take care of himself and he hoped everything would go according to plan.

* * *

* * *

 

_"Do not fall asleep on me" Keith scolded running his fingers through Shiro's white hair, "but I am sleepy" Shiro whined peeking an eye open, Keith frowned and he tugged on Shiro's ear "are you going to sleep on me when you are supposed to be spending time with me" he growled._

_Shiro grinned and he heaved himself up and planted a kiss onto Keith's lip, "how can I ignore my lover when he's whining so wonderfully for me" Shiro teased watching Keith's blush spread across his cheeks._

_"I am your lover?" Keith asked, Shiro nodded and he moved over so he was sitting beside Keith, he nodded and nuzzled against Keith's soft cheeks, "I love you more than life itself" he murmured, Keith laughed breathless and he turned his head to the side and licked the tip of Shiro's nose._

_"I love you than life itself as well" Keith confessed and shut his eyes when Shiro pressed kisses along his neck, he hummed and curled his hand Shiro's shoulder and the other on the grass below them._

_"You smell so nice" Shiro murmured licking a strip up to his earlobe and suckling on the flesh between his lips, Keith gasped and he squirmed, his toes curling from the soft pleasure._

_"You smell like a whore should--dirty."_

_Keith's eyes snapped open and suddenly he felt two pinpricks on his neck, he gasped and he pushed at the shoulder his hand was curling into, "stop!" he gasped out but there were two clawed fingers on his jaw keeping him in place._

_Keith glanced and he whimpered when he saw the long white hair instead of short black hair, "stop" he pleaded again feeling his eyes tear up, the claws that were pressing against his jaw curled and impaled themselves into skin. Keith screamed and he violently shoved the person away._

_Lotor laughed and wiped the blood from the mouth with the back of his hand, Keith pressed back against the tree and he sighed tilting his head to the side, "I thought you loved me more then the universe little whore" he cooed and leaned forward to caress Keith's cheek but it was slapped away and Lotor's eyes flashed._

_"You do not disobey me!" he snarled raising his hand to slap Keith, then he crawled in between his legs and pressed his erection against Keith's bum, "you need to do your job little whore" he hissed._

_"Stop!"_

Keith gasped and he frantically looked around and reached up to cup his neck trying to feel around for any open wounds but he felt nothing then he felt his jaw but there was nothing as well, he sat up and pressed himself against the wall and curled his knees against his chest.

There was a knock on the door and Keith let out a small scream and clutched his sheets closer to him, the knock came again and Keith stumbled out of his bed and cautiously walked over to the bed and pressed his ear against the door and listen to whoever as out there.

_"I do not think he will be awake this early Ulaz"_

It was Grur and Ulaz, Keith sighed in relief and opened the door, Grur smiled instantly and Ulaz nodded his head towards him.

"Are you ready for your first mission?" Grur asked reaching out to grasp both of his hands in hers, Keith nodded and he squeezed her hands for comfort before pulling away, "let me get ready and I will meet you two downstairs near the pods" he said.

They both nodded and left, Keith shut the door and pressed himself against the wall, his subconsciously pressed a hand against his neck before going to get ready. Keith slipped on his new Blade suits and grabbed his sword and left the room to meet up with Ulaz and Grur at the pod, what he wasn't expecting was to see Kolivan and Antok there was well.

"Good luck on your first mission" Antok said reaching out to roughly ruffle his hair and stepping to the side so Kolivan could wish him luck as well.

"I will be fine do not worry" Keith reassured them, "I know just be careful" Ulaz said and looked over at him, "you remember your training?" he asked.

"Yes."

"You sword?"

"Here."

"Did you clean up?"

"Yup."

"Where is your map?"

"Uh you have to give that to me" Keith said holding out his hand, Ulaz nodded and handed him over the tablet, "here is where you are to arrive and this where your current location is. It is only a few Varga journey but you should still be careful and keep me informed every step of the way" Ulaz said.

Keith smiled and he patted Ulaz on the chest before climbing into his pod, the hood close and Grur turned to Ulaz with a wild grin and punched his shoulder, "you stop that--it is creeping me out" Ulaz said when Grur would not stop grinning.

"You sounded like a father back there" she teased, Ulaz frowned and he ignored Grur's giggling and watched as Keith skillfully navigated the pod out of the open doors and disappeared behind the corner.

"I did not" Ulaz commented.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU CAN TRY TO PRY ULAZ/THACE FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS BUT I WILL NEVER LET THIS SHIP DIE!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long, I just had a lot of stuff going on; so the updates might start getting a bit slow because for many reasons  
> 1: I'm planning a solo trip to Tokyo for spring break so I have doubled my work hours so I can save up money to go  
> 2: I started summer classes so I can finish my degree faster  
> 3: I am apartment searching.  
> so yeah for the next few months or so I'm gonna be so busy with the move, my classes, and my job; but I'll try to write whenever I can.

The planet was small and was filled with various of plant and animal life, but there were no locals so far and Keith was kind of glad because he seriously did not want to be mistaken for one of Zarkon's troops.

Keith opened up his pouch and took out his comms and placed around his ear and tapped it once to signal that he had landed and was safe---so far. Keith pushed back the large leaves covering his pathway and silently moved through the forest, the map indicated he was going to the right way but sometimes it would glitch and move the location of the pearls to some other location.

Keith ducked under a low hanging branch and stumbled into a clearing, he frowned and looked down at the map, it didn't show a clearing but apparently he was going to right way. "This is harder then it looks" Keith murmured turning the tablet around just to see if he really was going in the wrong direction but his position stayed and so did the pearls.

"So--there should be an giant boulder five ticks to the left" Keith murmured taking out his ticker and he turned to the left and started walking and sure enough there was a large boulder waiting for him in the exact spot that it showed on the map. Keith looked over his shoulder at the clearing then back at the map, in fact there was no open space on the map either, it was just a huge forest so why would be stumble across a clearing.

"Maybe the map is old" Keith muttered putting his ticker back in his pouch and continued on walking, "you should reach a stream and in that stream is a stone that you need to open the gates of  _Rurioda..._ hmm seems simple enough" Keith muttered stepping over a log, luckily the planet seems safe enough and the plants weren't trying to eat him so he should be safe.

Keith found the stream and he knelt down in front of it and stared at the clear crystal water flowing over and around small little rocks in its pathway. Keith peered inside and looking around for a stone, it can't be any ordinary stone it has to be something that stands out--like this rainbow colored stone.

Keith dipped his hands in the cold water and dug out the smooth stone from within the muddy ground and washed it away with the water. Keith looked back at the map and realized that his dot on the map disappeared, "what-?" he started standing up.

He gave the tablet a little shake but it slipped from his hands and fell into the stream, "No!" he shouted reaching to grab it but it sparked his fingertips and within that time it went down stream to the large pond and with a loud plop fell into the pond.

"Oh- _Sazirk!"_ he cursed stomping his foot and glaring at the stream, Keith plopped to the ground and crossed his arms pouting, "supposed to be my first mission and this is how it turns outs--I am such a failure!" he cried.

"What do I do now" he muttered resting his cheek on his palm and idling running his fingers through the tall grass, Keith looked around him and spotted a high tree, Keith got up and walked over and peered up at him, the branches went up high and they were thick enough for him to climb and not break under his weight.

Keith grabbed a low branch and heaved himself up, branch by branch he climbed himself up till he was above the forest top and gazing out at the area, Keith squinted past the sun's rays and looked around for a gate or some kind of gate; but there was nothing in the area, just trees going on for miles.

Keith turned around and started to climb back down the tree, he grunted when he jumped off the last branch letting his feet fall steadily onto the ground. "That was a waste" he muttered wiping his hands on his thighs and stared up at the tree.

"Do you need help?"

Keith swiveled around and brought out his sword to point at the creature standing not too far away from him. "I would put that way if I were you" the creature said crossing his arms, "you are on my territory."

Keith slowly put down his sword but kept his eyes on the creature, "what are you?" he demanded. "I am Slaz--you do not need to worry about what kind I am, however I have been keeping an eye on you since you landed" Slaz said.

Slaz was a long creature with four rows of arms, four appendages on his chin and two small one on top of his head, with a yellow beak and he was the color of the grass--no wonder he blended in perfectly with the forest.

"Why were you following me?" Keith demanded, Slaz crossed one set of his arms and raised an eyebrow, "well last night I dreamed that someone would enter my territory and when I woke up I heard a ship land and low and behold there you stand right in front of me" he said.

"However you are Galra but you did not try to conquer my land or send in more troops to my planet" he said and raised a slim eyebrow, "are you sure you are a Galra?" he asked.

"I am and I can sure prove it too you as well" Keith growled raising his sword, Slaz grinned and he waved off one of his hands, "if you do then I will not show you the way to the pearls" Slaz said. Keith tensed and he glared a Slaz, "how did you know I needed pearls?" he asked.

"I told you--I had a dream" Slav said then motioned him off, "come here I know the easiest way" he said and disappeared in the forest, Keith hesitated for a split second but this is the only lead he had so he followed Slaz in the forest and chased after the fast green creature.

Keith heightened his senses and kept track of Slaz moving through the trees since the creature blended in with the forest so well. Keith jumped over a huge log and kept with Slaz, a laughter rang through the forest and Keith knew it was Slaz even though he couldn't see him.

"You are rather fast--most people get lost when I tell them to follow me!" Slaz shouted, Keith snorted and suddenly Slaz landed in front of him, Keith skidded to a halt and Slaz moved out of the way so Keith didn't run into him.

Keith panted, "well where is it?" Keith demanded. Slaz pointed to the trees and Keith looked up and sure enough there were a bundle of silver pearls handing from each branch, there had to be thousands of them up there.

"Do you need anything in return if I take a few?" Keith asked looking back down at Slaz, he shook his head, "you seem like a good Galra so I do not think the trees will mind if you take a few" Slaz said.

"Trees?" Keith asked confused then stilled when one tree leaned over so it would be easier for Keith to pluck off the pearls, "uh..."

"The trees are alive, do not worry they will not harm you" Slaz said, Keith nodded stiffly and took out his bag from his pouch and inflated it open and started filling the bags with the pearls, once he was done the tree lifted back up and stood tall among the other trees.

"I do however have one request" Slaz said, Keith turned to look at him after he tied up his sack. "What is it?" he asked.

Slaz shifted uncomfortably, "my uncle--he's been taken by the Galra...Uncle was really smart and they took him so they could gather as much knowledge as they could--could you save him for me" he asked.

Keith nodded, "I will do whatever it takes to save him--thank you for the pearls" he said, Slaz smiled and he waved a hand to his left, "if you keep going left you should be able to find your ship" Slaz said. Keith smiled gratefully, Slaz jumped up to grab onto a branch and disappeared within the forest.

Keith followed the direction Slaz told him to go and thankfully his ship was still there, Keith sent a message the Blades that that the mission was a success.

_'Good job, now get home safe' - Ulaz_

Keith stared down at the word, there was a little fluttering in his heart and he could not help but smile and feel giddy for getting such a reaction for such a small and simple word. Keith started up the ship, he slowly and carefully lifted the ship off the planet and flew towards his  _home_.

* * *

 

 "This should not be that hard--you are making it hard" Kolivan stated, Keith did his best not to glare at him, instead he glared at his own hands, he was trying his best to morph his Galra hands into human hands while staying full Galra.

"It  _is_  difficult" Keith said instead, Kolivan narrowed his eyes but stepped back and let Ulaz try. "Can you try again?" he asked, Keith glare at Ulaz.

"I  _have_ and it is not working, I either do not change human or fully change human" Keith said, "I do not know why I have to do this useless exercise" Keith added and turned his glare to his hands again, "because it is mandatory" Kolivan said.

"Can I take a break?" Keith asked, Kolivan sighed but nodded, Keith got up from his spot and left the training room, he walked towards the children's quarters and made sure no one else was looking before sneaking inside. Keith walked over towards Maur's door and slipped inside, he turned around to see Maur sitting on the floor waiting for him patiently.

"Keith!" Maur whispered yelled, Keith smiled and he walked over to sit down beside Maur but the little kit climbed into his lap instead and snuggled into his arms, "you smell nice" he commented.

Keith smiled and he reached his hand up to pinch Maur's cheeks, "are you hiding from teacher?" he asked. Maur he tilted his head up to pout at Keith and reached his hands up to press his hands onto Keith's jaw, "teacher may not be hitting us but she is still rude and scary" he muttered.

Keith snorted and Maur tilted his head back down but his fingers were still massaging in Keith's cheeks, "I heard about Voltron" Maur said then scrambled off Keith's lap and spread out his arms so Keith could see, "it is this big! Did you know that they have four different ships that form in one ship!" he exclaimed.

"No I did not--do you know how they form into one huge ship?" Keith asked, his leaned back into his hands as Maur excitedly told him about Voltron and how he would sneak through the vents to spy in on the conversation between Kolivan and Antok.

"I wanna pilot the yellow one! I like that one the most!"

"Really? I kind of like the red one" Keith said tilting his head, Maur frowned and he scrunched his nose curiously, "I suppose but the yellow one is still the best" Maur said then quickly ran back over and hopped onto Keith's lap and wrapped his skinny arms around Keith's neck.

"Do you think we will ever see it?" he asked, Keith hummed and he ran his fingers through Maur's silky locks and smiled softly, "I hope so" he said then used his other hand to pat at Maur's butt.

"We need to leave now, teacher is probably looking for you" Keith said shifting so Maur could move but instead he whined and nuzzled his face into Keith's neck, "I do not want too! teacher is going to make me study!"

"But you need to learn" Keith said, Maur scrambled off his lap and ran over to a small corner of his room where he had set up many pillows and sheets like a little nest, there was even sheets pinned to the wall to create a cave like area.

"Can we sleep for a bit, I am really tired of learning" Maur mumbled peeking his head out from the sheets. Keith sighed and he crawled over, he slipped off his boots and placed his knife next to his boots and climbed into the little nest, "it is rather small" Keith commented when his lower part of his body stuck out from the nest.

"Oh--next time I will make it better" Maur promised and pulled the sheets over them so Maur and Keith's upper body were enveloped in the darkness, "here you can take this pillow" Maur whispered handing Keith a fluffy pillow.

"I use that one to hug so I do not get scared at night" Maur added and snuggled into his multiple pillows, Keith rested his head on the pillow and ran his fingers along Maur's cheeks, "then what will you hug now?" he asked.

"You silly" Maur whispered inching closer and tucked his head under Keith's chin and curled his body against Keith's chest, Keith wrapped an arm around Maur and pressed a kiss to his hair and smiled.

"Are you warm?" Keith asked.

"Very--are you?"

"Very warm."

* * *

 

"Good, now try to morph you Galra ears out" Kolivan said crossing his arms, Keith gritted his teeth but he used his energy to force his human ears to turn Galra while the rest of his body stayed human, Kolivan nodded then pointed to his fingers.

Keith extended his nail into Galra claws, he was breathing heavily and he could feel the sweat drip down his back and down the side of his face, Ulaz was standing not too far away and kept his eye on Kolivan.

"I think this is enough for today" Ulaz said when he noticed how exhausted Keith looked, Kolivan shook his head and told him to release his fangs, Keith squeezed his eyes shut so he wouldn't get dizzy and opened his mouth and panted when he forced his fangs out.

"Enough!" Ulaz growled from the back, Keith gasped and let his whole body morph back into Galra form, he stumbled to his knees and took deep breaths so he didn't throw up his breakfast on the floor.

"You are training him too hard" Ulaz hissed glaring at Kolivan, "he needs to learn how to use his gift, it would be great use for him in the future" Kolivan said.

Antok was kneeling beside Keith, he had Keith almost in his lap and was rubbing his cheek against Keith to calm him down, Keith had his eyes close and was panting while grasping firmly onto Antok's uniform.

"Antok get up he is not a kit" Kolivan muttered shaking his head, Antok ignored him and kept comforting Keith. Ulaz rolled his eyes and went over to kneel beside Keith and placed a comforting on his head, Keith peeked his eyes open and smiled weakly at him.

"You have been working him all week, he needs rest" Ulaz said pulling his hand away when Antok started comforting using his fork tongue to lick at Keith's cheek, Kolivan muttered a curse and crossed his arms, "Antok he is not a cub you do not need to do that!" he hissed then threw his hands up in the air when Antok ignored him again.

"He has learned to morph into Galra and Human, now can you leave him in peace," Ulaz said standing up, Kolivan sighed and nodded but he did not look happy about it. Antok wrapped his arms around Keith and stood up.

"What did I say about him not being a cub!" Kolivan shouted after Antok when he carried Keith out of the training room, Ulaz let himself smile at the situation and patted Kolivan's arm, "let Antok treat him like a cub, he does not have one of his own" he said.

"You are spoiling him" Kolivan drawled, Ulaz shrugged and tilted his head, "I do not mind, I am actually rather proud of him. Before he would jump at any movement and look at him now, willingly letting Antok comfort him and carry him away" Ulaz said. 

"I suppose but Antok should not be treating him like a helpless cub, he is a solider" Kolivan muttered.

"Well enough of him, I have a favor to ask of you" Ulaz said, Kolivan glanced at him and crossed his arms, "what for?"

"I placed coordinates in the champions arm--"

"-Ulaz this goes against the rules!"

"We needed to do something! We could not let Voltron take all the brute of the fight, it is our fight as well!"

Kolivan growled and he glared at Ulaz, "do you not realize what you just did! you revealed our location to a human!"

"He is the black paladin--he needs to know that their are good Galra who are willing wanting to help fight against Zarkon; besides I did not give him the Blade of Marmora location, it is one of our other bases"

"...Which one?"

"The one hidden in the xanthorium crystal" Ulaz said, "and I wish to be deported there" he added.

Kolivan was silent and he glanced at the door then back at Ulaz, "what of Keith then?" he asked.

"I will talk to him, just give me permission to leave the base" Ulaz said, Kolivan gave him an annoyed look but nodded, "fine but remember you have stepped over your boundaries many times" Kolivan said.

"A leader is not always correct, they might need a little nudge on the way" Ulaz teased, Kolivan gave him a look and Ulaz laughed. 

* * *

 

Quintets had passed and Keith had gotten good at fighting, he could easily take down two Galras with his sword but that was beginner level, he still had to defeat Ulaz, Kolivan, and Antok but that still needed time; but he was absolute useless at morphing. 

"Enough training for today" Grur panted bending over her knees to take deep breaths, Keith nodded and walked over to grab some water for Grur and himself, "after washing up, Ulaz wants to speak with you" Grur said.

"About what?" Keith asked wiping a wet towel across his face, "I do not know but it seemed important" Grur said. Keith grunted, he picked up his sword from the ground and walked over to where Maur was waiting for him.

"Wow! that was so amazing! I want to learn how to fight like you!" he exclaimed, Keith swore he saw stars sparkling in those little yellow eyes. "When you grow older, I pray you do not need to learn like me" Keith said smiling and ruffing his white hair.

Maur pouted and he latched onto Keith's hand, "I still wanna fight" he muttered. Keith knew it was better not to argue with Maur so he let him think, they arrived in front of Ulaz's room and Keith gave a solid knock on the door, a tick later the door slide open and Keith frowned when he saw Ulaz in his Blade uniform and a large sack on his bed, "are you going on a mission?" Keith asked stepping inside, Maur waited patiently outside.

Ulaz shook his head and attached his blade to his hip and grabbed his sack and threw it over his shoulder, Keith stilled when Ulaz cupped his cheek, "since the day we meet till now you have become a huge part of my life and I dare say that I think of you as my own--you somehow managed to squirm yourself into my heart without realizing and I did not wish to part with you so soon" Ulaz said softly, Keith blinked and he reached up and place his own hand over Ulaz's.

"What are you talking about? Parting? Where are you going?" Keith asked hesitantly. Ulaz used his hand to cup his other cheek, "I am being promoted to a new position in the war--"

"No! You cannot leave me!" Keith shouted pulling away but Ulaz pulled him back and cupped his cheeks again, "listen to me little kit--we all have a place in this war and my place has been decided and I will honorably accept my position and so will you"

"You cannot do this to me" Keith murmured shutting his eyes, he wished that this was all dream he wished that he would wake up soon.

"I have to--look at me" Ulaz whispered, Keith opened his eyes and he blinked past the tears, "everyone says that once you get promoted that you will never return" Keith said softly. Ulaz shook his head, "that is not true--I will see you again and I can promise you that" Ulaz said lowering his head to press his forehead against Keith's.

"I want you to be good, trainer harder, be strong, use your fears against you, and fight with a good and noble heart, prove to the universe that there can be good Galra as well--do you understand me"

Keith bit his lips and nodded, he sniffled and Ulaz laughed gently, he wiped away the fallen tears and straightened up. Ulaz turned to Maur who was peeking in, "be a good little kit as well" Ulaz said sternly, Maur nodded.

Keith grabbed onto Ulaz's hand and stared up at the Galra, a Galra who used to scare him but now calms him. "I think of you as my own as well" Keith murmured, Ulaz jaw clenched and he cupped Keith's cheek before leaving the room.

Maur entered the room once Ulaz left and slowly walked over to Keith who was staring down at the floor, "he will be alright" Maur said gently, Keith turned to him and smiled.

"I know."

* * *

 

After Ulaz's departure, Keith had been by himself for many quintets. Maur had been busy with his training and studies so Keith didn't bother him, he ignored Grur and Rhea as well but they were also very busy in the med-bay.

They had just received some fresh news that Voltron had currently freed another planet from Zarkon's hold, they were slowly going up the ladder but a bit too slow for Kolivan's liking. "I think we need to contact them" Keith said swiping past the pictures of Voltron, they looked really friendly and happy, Shiro looked really different--Keith had no idea where he got his metal arm but it wasn't there the last time he saw Shiro on the ship.

"No, they will find it suspicious--we will wait for them to come to us" Kolivan said, Keith frowned and passed the tablet to Antok. "Why? If we contact them sooner maybe we can defeat Zarkon faster" Keith argued.

"If we contact them they will not trust us--we need them to come to us for help, besides they are far from beating Zarkon, they need more experience, the Voltron does not even have a worthy red paladin yet!" Kolivan hissed then glared at the red paladin on the tablet.

It was Princess Allura of Altea, one of the only Altean left, she was a rather beautiful woman but Kolivan had a weird distaste to her for some odd reason.

"Maybe if we explain to them---"

"--You are not understanding the situation kit, you need to see it from their perspective, the Galra had wiped their planet and their kin clear of existence, they have no trust in the Galra and probably still forever be distrustful towards our kin. If we show up and tell them that we are  _good_ Galra they will not trust us but if they learn about the Blades and about us--I promise to you young kit that they will come seeking help, they may not like it but they do need to us to win this war."

Keith didn't truly understand what Kolivan meant but it seemed pretty reasonable, so he agreed and did not argue further.

"As for you--I have a proposition for you--Ulaz left you in my care and he told me to tell you this; it is your right to decide. Do you want to stay in the Blades and help us fight on the inside or do you want to travel the galaxy and help on the outside."

"Outside--meaning being deported to a Galra ship?" Keith asked calmly but on the inside he was having a minor panic attack, he did not want to be on a ship again he did not want see the familiar black and purple interior of the ship.

"No, you are far too young for that mission. I am talking about traveling the universe and helping planets that need help, Ulaz told me that you dreamed of traveling the universe and I do not want to keep you cooped up in here forever--it is your choice" Kolivan said.

Antok gave him an encouraging nudge to his back when Keith hesitated, Keith stumbled forward from the sudden push, "I-I would like to leave" Keith mumbled.

Kolivan nodded and he patted Keith's shoulder, "I will have a ship ready for you by tomorrow night" he said. Antok ruffled Keith's head affectionately, "if you have until then to say your goodbyes"  

"I will be able to return right?" Keith asked quickly.

"Of course, this is after all your home" Kolivan said, Keith clenched his fist and he bit his lip to stop a grin from spreading across his face, "I will meet you down near the pods then tomorrow" Keith said taking a few steps back before turning around and jogging out of the room.

Keith first ran over to the med bay, he was met with very graphic sight, Keith screamed and slammed the door shut, he felt his cheeks heat up and his heart was racing from the image flashing in his head.

Grur on her knees, face burrowed in between Rhea's legs. Keith quickly slapped his cheeks and shook his head, "forget-forget-forget!" he hissed thumping his fist against his forehead. There was a muffled curse and loud thumping and hushed whisper,  _"pull up your pants!"_

The door opened and Grur stuck out her head sheepishly, her usual braid was in a low ponytail and her inky black hair was a mess, like fingers were running through it. Keith cleared his throat and Grur laughed awkwardly.

"I am terribly sorry about what you saw" she said quietly just in case someone heard, Keith shrugged stiffly and he entered the room cautiously. Rhea was sitting on the bed and her was as well messy.

"So what is it that you needed?" Rhea asked as if nothing had happened, Keith shuffled awkwardly and cleared his throat again, "I am leaving" he said stiffly.

Grur stilled beside him and Rhea snapped her head up, "excuse me?" she said hoping off the bed. "I wish to leave the Blade and explore the universe, I felt trapped in here" Keith confessed--it was true but he did not want to say it before since they gave him so much kindness and healed him back to somewhat normal.

"Oh" Grur murmured, Keith turned to look at her and he grabbed her hand. "I do not wish to cause you pain but I feel so trapped here" he murmured, Grur nodded and ran her fingers through his hair, "I understand little kit" she whispered.

Rhea hopped off the bed and walked over to Keith and cupped his cheeks, " _luvopo,_  you do what you need to do and if that means leaving the Base then go ahead" Rhea said. Keith flushed from the sudden affection and nodded.

"I have to say good bye to Maur" Keith said pulling away.

"Alright, but remember if you ever feel lonely you can come back home" Grur said leaning down to nuzzled his forehead, "this is your home now" she whispered. Rhea smiled at him and Keith blinked past his tears and smiled.

"Go Maur, I think he'll need more convincing then us" Rhea said.

0----

Rhea was right, Maur was currently hiding in his nest and had a huge pillow blockading the entrance so Keith couldn't enter even though Keith could easily kick the pillow away but then that would cause another whole crying fit with Maur so Keith sat outside the nest instead listening to Maur's sniffling.

"Maur you need to understand" Keith started but Maur just ended up sobbing loudly, Keith sighed and he slowly pulled away the pillow and his heart clenched when he saw Maur sitting in the far corner clutching a small pillow this chest, his purple cheeks flushed and eyes were swollen from crying.

"Do-don't le-ah-leave!" Maur blubbered wiping his tears with the back of his eyes, Keith's lips twitched and he reached inside to pull Maur out and settle him on his lap, "I'm sorry Maur but please understand" he whispered wiping the tears with a sheet that was near his feet.

"No!"

"Maur..." Keith whispered he brought him closer and wrapped his arms tightly around the little kit and pressed his face into his hair, "I wish I could take you with me but it is not safe out there for a little kit like you" Keith murmured.

"I will come back" Keith reassured, Maur whined and clutched tightly onto Keith. "No" he whined again, so they stayed like this for a while, Keith trying to explain and Maur kept on whining, even though his crying ceased he would still whine.

"Are you feeling better?" Keith asked after a while, Maur nodded and Keith let his fingers trail down the dried tear stains and gave him a little jostle. "You know I will always return back to you" he said.

Maur nodded then looked up at him with a frown, "you promise?" he whispered. Keith nodded and Maur snuggled closer, "can you sleep here tonight? I do not want to be alone" he whispered. Keith nodded and Maur climbed off his lap and crawled back inside his nest/tent, Keith crawled after him and pulled over the blankets, Maur let the tent sheet fall over them and he smiled sheepishly, "I forgot to make it bigger for you" he said.

"I am alright, let us sleep" Keith said laying down and lifting up his sheet so Maur could snuggle in.

"When I get older can I come with you?" Maur asked tucking his head under Keith's chin, Keith smiled and pulled Maur closer, "of course you can" he whispered.

"Do you think the war will end before I get older?" Maur whispered feeling his eyes droop, it was exhausting to cry for many dobashes, "I hope so" Keith whispered and ran his fingers through Maur's hair, "when the universe is free of Zarkon's hold, we can both travel the universe together" he said softly, "I promise you."

* * *

 

"Do you know Ulaz's location?" Kolivan asked, Keith shook his head and let Antok pack up his supplies in the small ship. "Should I?" Keith asked.

"No, it would be safer for both of you if you did not know, besides you have a whole universe to travel then to be stuck in a small base with Ulaz" Kolivan said then let his lips twitch when Keith grinned up at him.

"Also do not keep in contact with you, it may seem harsh but we do not want us risking exposure" Rhea said sternly, Keith nodded and he looked down at Maur pouting up at him. "We will see each other soon" Keith said softly kneeling down, Maur walked over and hugged Keith tightly and licked his cheek twice, "please come back home" he whispered.

Keith nodded and stood up, he gave Grur and Rhea a hug, "please take care of Maur for me" he said then looked over at Kolivan who nodded his head over to the ship.

It was a sleek black oval shaped ship built for speed, it had purple neon strips going down each end of the ship and the glass around it was black as well, it blended in perfectly with the outside dark space.

"It is time for you to go now" Kolivan said, "before the passageway closes--this ship will ensure a safe exit" he said. Keith smiled and walked over to the ship and placed his hands on the cold metal.

"Thank you for everything" Keith said turning back to them, "and I truly mean it" he added and turned back around to face the ship, he heaved himself up and threw his legs over and landed on the seat with a soft 'oof'

Keith ran his fingers over the control pad, his fingers catching along the numerous buttons and little switches, the seat was huge and black with purple handles on each side, Keith grasped the handles and his thumbs hovered on a button that was at the end of the handle.

Keith remembered his flight training with Ulaz and hit the large red button and that closed the top part of the ship and when it closed. Keith took a deep breath and pressed the engine button and that started up the ship, he inhaled sharply when he felt the ship start to hover, he could faintly hear the door opening up from below, Keith buckled up and quickly pressed the small button beside the engine button and and a little screen popped up showing the doors opening up from below.

Once it was fully opened Keith slowly pushed the ship downwards and then forward to fly away from the bottom area and fly towards the front of the Headquarters, it didn't look a building at a whole or a ship, The headquarters was a huge rock floating in mid-space the Blade of Marmora was built inside of it.

Keith turned the ship around and followed the pathway on the screen that led him out, once he was free, Keith paused the ship and he took in the open space before him. He thought it was just black with millions of stars but it was much more then that, space had much more colors. A mix of blues, red, pinks, and purples, all mixed in together to create such an open and clear space.

Keith pushed forward slowly and carefully into the unknown space that he had yet to explore.

* * *

 

"Shiro?"

Shiro looked over at his shoulder and noticed Pidge hovering near his door, he put down his tablet and smiled, "what is it Pidge?" he asked walking over.

Pidge fidgeted on her feet, "well so um I noticed that one time you fell asleep on the couch and you kept mumbling in your sleep, I heard you mumble the name a few times and I looked it up on the database and the name is of Galra heritage--Kilit" she said shoving her hands in her pocket 

"Galra heritage?" Shiro asked raising an eyebrow, Pidge nodded and pulling out one hand to scratch her cheek, "well I mean I thought you were having a nightmare but you didn't look distressed, you just looked peaceful sleeping and kept muttering the name then you stopped and woke up about two minutes later...Did you remember anyone on that ship?" Pidge asked.

"Honestly, I wish I did remember it would make things alot easier but I'm sorry Pidge I don't remember anyone the name of Kilit" he said softly, "did you look up the name?"

"I did actually but no source was found, I mean if you search up any name in the database you can see exactly where they were born, their age, their height, their species but whenever I search up Kilit I don't find anything" Pidge said her brows furrowing.

"Are you sure it was Kilit?"

"Yup"

"Well don't worry about it, right now what we need to worry about is Allura, she's going through a hard time erasing her father's memories in the AI, let's just focus on Voltron for now" Shiro said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for waiting paitently and reading my story :)  
> I wasn't a big fan of the ending of chapter 7 but it's whatever
> 
> please comment if you can or even kudos, I'm down with anything :D  
> Also if you guys see any grammar or punctuation mistakes please inform me so I can fix them, I did my best to edit the chapter


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHHH! IT'S DONE! IT'S FINALLY DONE, DANG I THOUGHT I WOULD NEVER UPLOAD CHAPTER 8
> 
> :)

Luckily Keith learned how to fly with Ulaz in the stimulator, he first started off as a kit then build himself up, it was pretty easy once he got the basics down and after that Keith had no problem flying a ship, he even beat Kolivan's score.

Everyone soon realized that Keith was natural at flying, he could maneuver through space and thankfully with the advanced technology on the ship, he could tell when there was another ship behind him or a surprise attack coming at him.

There were times when Keith debated on landing on a planet for some rest but his ship always detected many fighter pilots circling the planet, Keith hadn't realized how bad the universe at gotten, many or almost all the planets were colonized by the Galra; and the few who were saved were only the weak ones, the planets that had no use for Zarkon.

Keith noticed a lone planet far off in the distance, it wasn't surrounded by Galra and it looked pretty safe.

Keith turned his ship and landed on the small red planet, he turned on his invisible shield and landed the ship in the deep forest, the large trees creating a barrier so his ship was not visible, he landed near a huge blue tree just in case he wandered off to far, he would know where his ship was. Keith climbed out and jumped down onto the ground, Keith noticed that the ground was not grass or even dirt but red clay.

Keith stretched and stood on his tip toes, a tired whine escapes him and he dropped back down to the balls of his feet and ran a hand through his hair. Keith did a quick check around the area to make sure it was safe to sleep before he started to make camp, a blanket near the ship along with his pillow and blanket to cover himself.

Keith walked towards the small pond near his clearing, he took off his boots and waded knee deep into the clear water, his eyes trained on the fish swimming around his legs. Keith knelt a bit and slowly put both of his hands in the water, the fish were kind of hesitant at first, coming close but then swimming away quickly. Keith was patient though, he waited for many dobashes until the fish would swim over his hands.

Two fish hovering above each hand, barely a blink later, Keith had closed his hands, letting his claws sink into the fish, killing them instantly. The blood in the water scared the fish away and Keith waded back out of the water and dropped the fish near his campsite.

Keith started up a fire with some fallen twigs. Keith used his claws to scrape off the scales and gutted the fish, he tossed the guts into the fire and ate the fish, frowning at the unusual taste and texture of fish. Keith shrugged and picked up the second fish, it was good and he needed it so he could gain back some energy.

After his meal, Keith patted his belly and laid down on the blanket bringing his other blanket near his chin. Keith stared up the stars peeking at him between the leaves trees, exhaustion of many quintets hit him hard and Keith had he had fallen asleep and without realizing it until he felt someone binding his arms together, he shifted in his sleep and blinked awake to see not the stars but rocks instead.

Keith frowned and wiggled around a bit but when the creature holding him gave his body a jerk and Keith gasped, he tried to kick at them but apparently his legs were tied as well.

"Let me go!" Keith cried trying to wiggle free but it was useless, the bonds were too tight and after a while, he was not to gently dropped to the floor in front of a huge throne. Keith lifted his head and glared at the creature in front of him.

A long gangly creature with two pairs of arms, three fingers, a pair of legs and the same number of toes as fingers. The creature was red with big blue eyes, no nose and a small mouth, a tuft of green hair on its head. The creature was wearing brown pants with no shoes, a thick fabric going around its chest, a thin sword tied to his waist and it was holding a large staff in its hand.

"Who are you?" It demanded, pointing the sharp side of the staff inches from Keith's face. Keith glared at it and raised himself on his knees and straightened his shoulders, he will not show any fear.

"I am Keith a Galra," he said, there were hisses behind him and his name was being echoed within the cave walls. The creature sneered at him, showing a row of tiny pointed teeth, "I can tell" it said pulling the staff away and looked behind him.

The creature lowered itself down to its knees, Keith could feel the powerful presence of another creature behind him, he held his breath when someone passed by him, it was wearing a huge red cape and turned around to sit down on the throne.

It looked just like the creature with the staff but this one held a power of authority that the other didn't have, golden rings were on each finger and toes, a huge gold medallion hung from its neck.

"State your business, why have you decided to land on my planet" it demanded crossing its legs and stared down at him with distaste.

"I have no business here, I just wanted to rest for a while before I take off again, I had done no harm to this planet nor to any one of you so I see why am I being questioned and taken against my will" Keith said lifting his chin glaring at their, leader-king-emperor whatever it was.

It laughed and waved his hands at him, "Oh but you did, you killed two of my animals and land without permission from my people or even me" it said glaring at him. Keith frowned and shook his head, "I have did not kill anything or anyone" he insisted.

It waved his hands and a sudden two white wisp came out of nowhere and took shape of two fish and swam towards Keith, circling him then disappearing deep into the cave. Keith furrowed his brows and defended himself quickly, "I was hungry, I needed to eat" he said.

It scoffed and the staff holder laughed as well, "eat! You needed to eat!" it cried, the creatures behind him snickered as well and Keith wished he could break these bonds and snap those skinny creatures like twigs.

"You Galra are the same! Coming onto my plant to kill off my creatures for food! The creatures are life, they make this plane thrive, they are not for eating!" it growled and stood up, Keith tensed and he glared right back, "then what do you eat?" he demanded.

"We do not eat meat! We get our energy from the leaves, roots, and vegetation that grows on this lovely planet" It stated, Keith scoffed and the creature hissed at him. "Everyone is different, some may eat vegetation like you but I need meat to survive," he said.

"I do not want to listen to you, Eryut put him in the chambers" It said sitting back down, Eryut the staff holder came down and yanked Keith up by his elbows, while another untied the bonds on his legs so Keith could wake, "up you get Galra, how does it feel like on the other side" it snickered yanking Keith towards the back.

"I'm not an evil Galra, let me go!" Keith hissed walking past the other creatures, they watched him go with narrowed eyes and Keith bristled under their glare. There was a sudden boom and they all dropped to the ground, Keith landed on his knees and he hissed as a rock dug into left knee.

"What was that noise?"

"Was it the goddess herself?"

"Has she returned?"

The king got off its throne and stared down at Keith horrified, "you brought your Galra troops to colonize our planet!" it hissed threw its arms in the air, "hide my people, hide!" it shouted. Keith staggered to his knees and he glared at the King as its people ran by him towards their hideout.

"I did not bring the Galra here, I have been abused my whole life by the Galra. I am not like them!" Keith shouted the king pointed its long finger at him.

"Kill him! He's their leader!"

"Kill-?" Keith whispered then gasped, he dodged an oncoming sword and twirled around and staggered back against the cave wall, he pushed himself forward and rammed his knee into Eryut's stomach, it fell and clutched its stomach.

Keith twirled around and knocked his head against another creature coming his way and successfully knocking him down. "I can help you!" Keith shouted turning towards the King, "if we work together we can drive the Galra out and if I betray you, you can kill me!" Keith shouted.

The king held up its hand and the attack seized, it narrowed its eyes at Keith and slowly walked over to him. Keith held his stance and the king snapped its fingers. Eryut growled but cut off the bonds from Keith's hands.

"You agreed pretty fast" Keith muttered rubbing his wrist, the king snorted and walked past Keith towards the exit, Keith followed behind with Eryut close by. They peered out of the cave and saw several fighter pilots swarming the area.

"There's only a few, so right now it could be easier to take them down now before they call in the bigger ships," Keith said.

The king nodded and Eryut narrowed its eyes at Keith, "Eryut you send in the fighters. Keith, you came on a ship, can that ship fire missiles?" The king asked turning around, Keith nodded and looked at Eryut, "where is my ship? I have to get to it quickly" he said.

Eryut pointed to a large blue tree standing high and tall above the other normal green trees, "it is right beside that tree, follow it and you should find your ship" it said and ran back inside screaming a language that Keith did not understand.

"Hurry before more arrive," King said pushing Keith forward, Keith nodded and made a mad sprint towards the trees, he followed the trail towards the large blue tree and sure enough his ship was still there but his supplies were missing, he'd have to worry about that later.

Keith jumped into the ship and turned it on, the buttons all light up and the ship hovered a few inches above the ground. Keith carefully lifted it above the trees and made a beeline for the Galra pilots.

Keith pressed the button near his handles and the ship shot out a large purple beam, shooting down the ship in front of him, Keith grinned and he circled the fighter pilots and shot each one down. He was about to fly back down when the dark red clouds around him shifted, his heart dropped when he saw a huge Galra ship hidden within the clouds.

"Oh no" he whispered, the clouds parted to reveal even more fighter pilots swarming around the huge ship, this was a huge fleet and they were dead set on conquering this planet. Keith gritted his teeth, if he fought this battle alone, he would surely end up dying and this was not how he wanted to die; but if he retreated the king would think he betrayed them and kill him.

He had one safe option, it was to fly away but as rude and annoying these people were, he would not leave them alone to die or turn into slaves.

Keith shook his head and started shooting at the smaller ships, he cursed when one hit him. Red lights flashed at him, he quickly turned the ship around and flipped open the switch, the ship powered up and released multiple hyper beam shots at bundles of fighter pilots.

Keith smirked when they exploded and the explosion caused the ships around them to explode as well, it was a chain reaction.

Keith cursed and he dodged an oncoming beam, it shot the few ships behind him causing his to rumble, he jerked forward in his seat and glared at the galra ship in front of him; while he was trying to take down the fighter pilots, the larger ship had already landed and many Galra were out and taking in creatures as prisoners.

Keith dove down and shot at the ship, but it did no use his beam was too weak against the huge galra ship. Suddenly a large beam shot beside him, creating a huge hole in the ship. The reaction of the beam caused his ship to spin out of control, Keith yelped jerking forward, he yanked the handle bars back to gain control of his ship, the ship seized its spinning and Keith was faced with a large lion-like robot.

The lion was huge and green, it landed on the ship and shot down another green beam. Keith flew out of the way as that part of the ship exploded. Keith looked around and noticed other multi-colored lions flying about, a blue and yellow were taking out the fighter pilots together and the black one was flying towards another huge Galra ship trying to land.

The green lion took off and the tail of the lion hit his ship and he cursed when his ship malfunctioned and spun out of control again but this time he couldn't gain control, the ship spun and crash landed far in the forest.

Keith gasped and lifted his head, he could see smoke coming out from the front through the window, he jerked at his handles but it was useless, the ship was dead until repaired. Keith climbed out and fell to his knees, he coughed and stared uselessly at the ship.

The one chance he had to prove himself that there could be good Galra was wasted, he slumped against his dead ship and groaned, he covered his face with his hands and sighed. "Great just great" he muttered pulling his knees to his chest and letting his arms hang off his knees, he glared at the red clay below him and huffed.

"I'm practically useless" he muttered, he could hear the muffled sound of the explosion behind him but he knew Voltron had it all handled and he if he stayed hidden enough the king would never find him and if he did then that was how he died apparently.

Keith let out a loud groan and tilted his head up to stare at the sky, the red clouds surrounded the blue sky, green leaves peeking at him from the high trees, it was a wonderful sight if there wasn't a huge battle going on behind him.

Suddenly a large red lion flew past the trees, Keith squinted and his eyes widened when the earth shook, apparently it landed not too far away. Keith scrambled to his feet and followed the trail where the lion flew. He jumped over the thick roots and ducked below low hanging branches, he stumbled through the shrubs and entered a huge clearing, a huge clearing with a molten lava pond apparently.

Keith gapped at the huge scene, the red lion was just lounging in the molten lava, just relaxing, it's blaring yellows eyes were it looked like it was locked onto his own yellow eyes. Suddenly the top part of the lion flipped open and the owner of the lion climbed out, wearing a red and white armor. Keith hid back behind the bushes and watched as the owner took off its helmet to reveal it's pilot.

It was the Princess of Altea. Keith remembered her from the photos in the Blades, she was just as pretty in the pictures, maybe even more.

"You stupid lion! I am your paladin and you must obey my commands! There is a war going on and we need to take part in it! You cannot just ignore me!" she shouted glaring down at the lion. The princess looked around and growled when she realized that the lion was lounging in a huge pond of lava, "stop being so stubborn!" she shouted, then yelped when she slipped.

Keith shot out of the bushes and his heart pounded but luckily she caught herself on the lion's nose.

The princess looked up and gasped, "you!" she hissed scrambling back up the lion's face towards the top of his head. "Have you come to kill me, you knew I was in a bad position and came here like a coward to kill me while I'm the most vulnerable!" she hissed.

Keith frowned and tilted his head, "I was actually scared that you might fall in the lava so I wanted to help" he said truthfully, the princess paused then laughed, a huge rod materialized in front of her, it was red with white ends, she pointed the staff at him and sneered at him.

"Do not play me Galra, I know how you are!" she growled.

"I just truly want to help," Keith said taking a step forward, the princess took a step back, "I'm warning you Galra, back off or I will call the rest of the Paladins here" she hissed.

"Please do not do that, I truly want to help, look here," Keith said; turning around to grab a thick red vine, he tossed it on the low branch and tied it then walked over towards the edge of the pond and tossed the edge towards the princess, she caught it and looked at it expectingly.

"How am I going to cross over?" she demanded and placed her hands on her hips, glaring at him.

"Go back inside the lion and tie it to something then crawl over," Keith said calmly, if he was calm enough and showed the princess that he wasn't an evil Galra then maybe she help him with his ship.

The Princess narrowed her eyes but jumped back inside the ship, a tick later she climbed back. Keith watched carefully as the Princess put the rod above the vine, firmly grasped it and slide over, she landed perfectly on the ground, Keith held up his hands quickly as she pointed the rod towards him.

"Do not try anything funny beast" she hissed, "I am not even carrying a weapon, it is all back in my ship," Keith said stepping back.

"Why should I trust you?" she asked not lowering her weapon at him, "because I just helped you," he said.

The princess scoffed and took a step forward, "I could have easily called my team over to help, you did nothing special, besides you probably wanted me as a trap!" she hissed.

"You could have but you didn't and I helped you," Keith said stepping back so the rod wasn't in his face, "I am completely weaponless and seeing here you that you have a weapon in my face. You can even see my ship, it is completely gone so why would I put myself in danger without any means of escape or even carrying a weapon" he added then crossed his arms uncomfortably, "besides I just escaped from Galra prison."

The princess looked away for a split second and lowered her weapon and Keith relaxed, "the Galra don't even leave their own kind alone" she stated.

Keith nodded and looked over at the lion, "it is a rather beautiful ship" he commented. The princess tensed again but Keith paid no attention to her and walked over towards the edge of the lava pond.

"It is--are you going to steal it?" she taunted, Keith looked over his shoulder at her and raised an eyebrow, "how? If the Lion doesn't listen to you, do you honestly think it would listen to me" he said stepping back.

"How do you know the lion doesn't listen to me?" the princess demanded, Keith turned around fully jerked his head over towards the small shrubs, "I was watching you, I saw your ship fall," he said.

"Did you escape from that ship?" she asked.

Keith shook his head, "I escaped many quintets ago, I landed my ship on this planet so I can a few quintets of rest but I was captured by the locals, they assumed the worst of me but I cannot blame them, after all the Galra put the universe through I do not hold it against them, I promised to help them when the Galra attacked but I was outnumbered then Voltron came along."

"Good timing too, we were just flying over Planet Ora when we saw the Glara ship," The Princess said looking up at the sky, several fighter pilots flew over them being chased down by the green lion.

The princess turned to the red lion and frowned, "I do not know what to do with this lion, she does not listen to anyone" she muttered, "I managed to prove myself many times but still no response from her, I need to contact my team" she said to herself.

"Lance? Hunk? Are two free, I'm having trouble with the red lion" she said turning her head away from Keith a bit.

Keith noticed that her purple earrings buzzed a light purple, Keith's ears twitched and he heard their response.

_"Almost done, I think they're retreating so you don't have to worry about a thing, we'll come get you once we're sure they're gone," a male said._

Keith looked away quickly when the princess turned to look at him, "I suppose it's time for you to go" she said raising an eyebrow, her grip on her weapon tightened and she raised it an inch.

"I suppose I should but is there a way, I ask for a favor in return," Keith asked, the princess's lips pulled down into a frown, "a favor? What for?" she asked.

"I helped you and in return I want my ship fixed," he said crossing his arms, the princess copied him and she rolled her eyes.

"You have a lot to make up for then just 'helping' me, I could've easily thought of something myself or just waited for my team, do not think too highly of yourself' she sneered.

"I  _helped_ you, is that not enough and I am not part of 'those' Galra, I am a victim as well" Keith insisted.

"You say you are a victim but you have no proof" she stated.

"I do not need to show you proof, I do not need to show you anything, all I ask if my ship to be repaired!"

The princess said nothing in return and looked away from him, Keith exhaled sharply and shook his head, he turned back towards his ship and left the princess alone, he shouldn't have helped her in the first place.

Kolivan was right, these people have no trust in the Galra.

Keith arrived to ship and pulled up the front of it, he coughed and glared down at the numerous gears and cranks inside, it looked impossible and he had no idea what he was doing. Keith tied back his hair and placed his hands on his hips.

"I think this goes here" Keith murmured reaching inside pulling back a pipe but sparked before he could touch it, Keith snapped his hands back and huffed.

"Much difficult then I thought," he said, he regretted not asking Kolivan or Ulaz about ship parts, it would've helped him in the long run, now here he was staring at his useless ship.

Keith was just about to reach inside when a large boom echoed the planet, he stumbled back from the ship the shake and almost fell when he saw a huge Galra ship hovering above him and slowly moving towards where the red lion was.

For a split-second, Keith knew it was a horrible idea but he didn't care, Keith turned around and ran back to where the princess was before. Keith broke through the shrubs and ducked under the oncoming punch and twisted around, he slammed his foot on the Galra's back and propelling him forward, the Galra's head slammed against the thick trunk of the tree and fell unconscious.

Keith turned around and saw the princess being cornered by two Galra's, but it looked like she could handle herself so he ran towards the lion, it was all or nothing. Keith leaped up and grabbed onto the red vine and jerked himself over towards the lion, he landed on the snout just as a huge purple beam shot down on the lion and himself, Keith stumbled but caught himself when the lion started lifting from the lava.

Keith turned around to see the princess jab her rod into of the Galra, she turned her head towards him and her glare deepened, "I knew it! I knew you were part of them!" she shouted. Keith turned around and ignored her screeching and climbed up the head of the Lion and jumped inside and the top entrance shaft.

Keith staggered to the seat and quickly yanked onto the handles but the lion didn't budge, he looked out the window and noticed the lion was being sucked in by a magnetic force.

Keith froze when the lion was pulled inside the ship and he saw the familiar black and purple interior, he was back inside a Galra ship. Keith's heart raced and his body started to tremble, he fumbled off the seat and crawled over to a small crevice in the wall, he pulled his knees to his chest and covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, be strong, be strong, be strong" Keith whispered to himself, there was a jolt and it sounded like the lion had landed.

"I'm strong, I'm strong, I'm strong"

Keith slowly peeked open his eyes and he tucked his trembling arms under his pits and slowly stood to his feet, he cautiously walked over towards the chair and peered out the window, there were many sentries guarding the lion, their guns aimed at the lion.

The back door opened and a Galra walked in, he was short and kind of chubby, he had two large ears and a thick tail, a bit stubbier than Antok's.

"Come out Princess, we know you are in there!" He shouted, a guard from the back came forward, he bent down and whispered something in his ear, the commander sneered and glared at the Guard.

"Why did you not tell me that before! I shouted like an idiot to an empty lion" he hissed and started for the lion, Keith ducked under the control panels and listened to the outside, he could hear the commander strutting forward, there a muffled bang on the outside then another.

"How do you open this thing!"

Keith inhaled deeply and shut his eyes as he exhaled, Keith climbed under the control panel and quickly sat down on the chair, he buckled up and patted the control panel.

"We need to get you out of here and back to the princess, can you cooperate with me" He whispered, there was nothing and Keith tried again.

"I do not want you to get into the wrong hands, I understand that I am Galra, I do know how if you know that but I am and I want no harm coming to you. Stop being so stubborn, turn on and let me get you out of here!" he hissed.

Still nothing, Keith growled and he unbuckled his belt and looked around to see how the lion could start, maybe there was a manual button he could press.

Suddenly the top shaft opened and Keith gasped when he saw the commander staring at him in shock.

"You! Who are you? What are you doing in the lion!" he shouted, climbing down. Keith narrowed his eyes and quickly punched the commander in the nose, the attack was so sudden that the commander couldn't react, he fell back against the chair and held onto his bloody nose.

"Why you little traitor!" he shouted scrambling up.

Keith spun around and kicked the commander in the face. The commander stumbled back and spat out the blood in his mouth and charged forward, Keith dodged his attack and grabbed the commander by the back of his neck and slammed up against the wall, Keith bared his teeth at him and growled, "get out of here! You do not belong inside!"

The commander sneered at him and grabbed onto the pipe leaning against the wall, he smacked that against Keith's head and watched him cry out and stumble away.

Keith clutched his head, he ducked under the swipe. Keith extended his claws and curled them, he swiped them at the commander's arm holding the pipe, the commander cried out and dropped the pipe and held onto his bleeding arm.

"Go! Start now, do you not see that you are in danger!" Keith shouted at the lion, the commander snorted and charged at Keith, he jumped out of the way and let the commander ram his head into the metal wall creating a very impressive dent.

"Now!" Keith shouted his voice ending in a growl.

The Lion's eyes flashed and it booted up, lighting up the buttons and the cockpit. Keith stumbled to the chair and buckled up, he grabbed onto the handles and jerked forward. The lion smashed into the wall, Keith pressed the button on the handle and the lion released a beam, blowing a hole into the ship.

Keith jerked the lion forward and dove off the ship, just as it went into hyperdrive, disappearing from the planet. Keith sighed in relief then tensed up when he heard a groan from behind him, there was a rumble and suddenly the cockpit opened and Keith was glad he buckled up, he winced when he saw the Galra slide off the cockpit and out of the ship, he could hear the Galra screaming but the cockpit closed and Keith was left in silence.

Keith smiled and slumped in the seat, "good kitty" he said softly. Keith brought the Lion down towards the ground and slowly landed near the crowd of locals, he could see the princess with the King staring at the lion.

Keith groaned but he unbuckled and slowly climbed out of the shaft, he waved at the princess. "I retrieved your lion, princess!" he shouted and climbed down.

"You! I thought-" the princess stuttered.

Keith walked over to her and tilted his head, "I suppose you trust me now? Or at least sort of, I understand your distrust towards my kind but I am telling you the truth that the universe still has some good Galra out trying to help take down the Galra Empire," he said softly.

The princess pursed her lips and looked away, "I do suppose I owe you a ship repair" she said stiffly, Keith sighed in relief and took that as an 'apology and a thank you.'

"Where did your ship crash?" Eryut asked coming over, it surprised Keith by pressing its fingers against the wound on the side of his head, Keith winced but let the fingers graze over the thick wound.

"Over near the pond of lava" Keith murmured, Eryut pulled its hands away and stared down at its maroon tainted fingers, "the pond" Keith murmured eyes letting his eyes droop.

"He was hit hard, he needs treatment!" Eryut shouted, Keith blinked hard and shook his head gently. "I'm fine, just please make sure my ship is repaired" Keith murmured then felt his knees buckle and his vision blur, there was a ringing in his ears as he fell to his knees, dark spots danced in his vision.

Keith could hear the rushed voices above him and he tried to open his eyes but they were so heavy so he shut them and slept.

* * *

 

 

When Keith woke up, he was laying on the floor on his blanket but he was inside of a cave and luckily his wrist and ankles weren't bounded this time. Keith blinked and sat up, he reached up to the feel at his pulsing head, he frowned when he felt bandages around his head.

"Oh, you are awake," Eryut said walking over, Keith looked at him and frowned harder when he knelt down and held out a wooden bowl of food, "eat up. You'll need your energy for when you take off" he said pushing the bowl forward.

Keith grabbed it and was grateful that his trembling fingers didn't drop the bowl, "take off?" he murmured.

"Your ship? Princess Allura fixed it, well two paladins of Voltron did but it is fixed and ready for flight, we are just waiting on your recovery. I have to go to now, Voltron is reading to leave and I need to be there to thank them" Eryut said bowing its head gently and getting up, Keith watched it go and turned to his bowl.

Assorted fruits and vegetation were delicately splayed in the bowl, Keith stabbed one of the soft fruits with his claws and brought it to his face, he sniffed it. It didn't smell bad, kind of sweet.

Keith slowly placed the fruit in his mouth and his taste buds danced with the sweetness of the fruits, Keith's toes curled and he went for another fruit slice, and another, then another, until they were all gone. Keith frowned and he picked up the large leaf, he took a sniff and stick his tongue out a bit from the smell. Keith slowly nipped at the edge of the leave and flung the leaf and the bowl across the room and gagged.

Keith used his palms of his hands wipe at his tongue and glared at the bowl of greens, Keith blew out a breath and knew that it would be rude not to finish the food given, so he decided on burying the leaves under the thick red clay.

Keith dug a hole in the ground and dumped the leaves inside then pulled the thick clay over them, Keith smiled and patted the ground before pulling the blanket over it and placing the empty wooden bowl on the blanket. Keith heaving himself off the ground and grunted when his visions dazed up a bit, Keith blinked hard and brought up his claws to cut off the bandages, the fell to the ground silently.

Keith felt around for his wound and winced when his claws scraped against the crusted wound on his temple, Keith decided not to stay here longer, he didn't want to eat any of those leaves even if he needed more rest.

There was a back entrance and Keith walked there and followed the trail towards the giant blue tree, sure enough, his ship was there but not all there. It looked like it was taken apart from the front then put back together with old metal, Keith pursed his lips at the ugly sight of his ship.

Keith climbed inside and sighed in relief when the ship came to life smoothly, Keith sighed in relief, he grabbed his blade from the sack and heaved himself out of the ship and jumped off, he grabbed his blanket that was still there and gave it a shake for the bugs and dirt that fell on it over the past quintent.

Keith walked over towards the trees and started using his blade to scrape off some of the bark of the tree, the bark makes good claw sharpeners along with great fuel starters. Keith grabbed the bark and walked back over to his blanket and dropped it the bark on it, Keith flicked off a crawling bug and rolled up the blanket and tied it off with a thick rope.

Keith paused when he heard shuffling not too far away then hushed whispers that he could barely make out. Keith took out his blade and waited, it could easily be anyone, but their language dialect was not one Keith has heard of.

_"Dude! You stepped on my fucking toe! That hurts!"_

_"Then maybe you shouldn't be putting your toe in my space Lance!"_

Keith tilted his head when a group emerged from the thick leaves and into the clearing, Keith frowned and slowly stood up, his blade out just in case.

"Well thankfully you did not take off yet," The Princess said coming into the clearing too, Keith frowned and lowered his blade, "did you need something?" he asked ignoring the looks on the humans, there were three of them.

One in blue armor, one in green and the other in yellow, they looked suspiciously at him but Keith ignored them.

"I suppose we do, did you do something to the red lion when piloted it?" she asked, Keith frowned and shook his head.

"Not really, I mean the lion did not listen to me at all until it did after a few times of shouting at it but it turned on and we broke through the ship. Why?" he asked curiously.

The princess nodded stiffly then turned to the humans, they started whispering but Keith heard everything.

 _"I don't trust him!"_ the blue paladin hissed,  _"does it look we have a choice Lance?"_  the yellow paladin said.

 _"Look I understand that this was not part of the plan but we have no other choice,"_ the princess whispered.

 _"I mean how bad can it be, he did save Allura and did bring back the lion so I mean we could give him a chance, I mean he hasn't done anything bad yet"_ The green Paladin muttered crossing her arms.

 _"Yet! Yet! Pidge he hasn't done anything yet! I can see it in his evil yellow eyes!"_ The blue paladin hissed.

 _"Lance calm down, we'll figure this out as we go,"_ The Princess said.

Keith pretended he didn't hear any of their conversation and started fiddling with his blade, they turned to look at him again and Keith glanced at them.

"We might have a problem with the red lion, she chose you as her new paladin and we need you join the Voltron team because she will not let me pilot her," The Princess said.

Keith's eyes widened and he shook his head, "I cannot. I can barely pilot this ship correctly" he lied, he was an expert flyer or as he would like to think so.

"We can train but you  _must_  join the team, or how else are we going to defeat Zarkon. You said so yourself, now this is your chance to do something" the princess insisted.

Keith furrowed his brows and he looked at the other humans, they did not look happy about it and Keith was not for it either, "I do not think this is a good idea" he said finally.

"Awesome! Let's go Allura!" the blue exclaimed grabbing onto the princess's elbow, she shook him off and took a step forward.

"I understand that I might have misjudged you from the beginning but can you blame me? I have had my whole race destroyed because of the Galra but you are the one Galra that hasn't done anything to us yet and I want you to join the team to prove that the Galra are not all bad" she said.

Keith bit his lip and tapped his fingers nervously against his thigh, she was lying she had to be, how can someone who's been through so much trust him so instantly. "My ship?" he asked weakly, the princess nodded, "we will bring it on board and if things do not go as planned you can leave whenever you want to" she promised.

Keith nodded and the princess sighed in relief, "can you pilot the ship over towards the lions, we'll meet you there" she said.

Keith nodded again and they turned around and vanished back into the forest. Keith resisted the urge to slam his forehead against his ship and cursed his bad luck, what in the world was he thinking.

"You just had to save the princess, you could have just let help yourself or even let her team help" he muttered bending down and roughly grabbing his blanket, he tossed it inside the ship and heaved himself up and plopped down on the seat.

"You are so useless Keith" he muttered, now he had to make amends with every single team member, they did not look friendly either, they looked rather mean especially the blue one, he did not hide his distrust.

Keith turned on the ship and tilted his head up and thought about this, he could easily run away and pretend he doesn't know anything about them but then they would chase him down and that would end up badly, then they would probably think he's hiding something.

Keith blew out a breath and debated on which was easier, running away or becoming a part of Voltron, which sounded easier and safer. Running away did sound tempting but that didn't feel right, he did want to take down Zarkon but with people who trusted him and who Keith trusted as well.

Keith brought up the ship until he was high above the trees and turned the ship around and pushed it forwards to where he could black lion---the black lion the one which Shiro piloted. Keith halted the ship suddenly and his body jerked forward from the sudden halt.

Shiro is in the Voltron team and the same team that Keith was just about to join. No, he couldn't do this, it was too much all of a sudden, he wanted out. He released his grip on the handles and stuffed his trembling fingers under his thighs. Keith could hear his heart pounding his ears, his whole body felt cold and there was a bead of sweat that ran down his back.

"I can't" he whispered, but what was more important; the universe or his own personal feelings.

Keith slipped his hands out from under his thighs and grabbed onto the handles again and slowly pushed the ship forward.

"Deep breaths" he murmured to himself, "deep breaths."

The rest of the Lions came into view along with the entrance to the cave where the King and Eryut stood, Keith landed the ship beside the green lion. Keith looked out the window and saw the princess and green paladin were talking together, the blue and the yellow were talking to Eryut and Shiro had his back turned and was talking to the King.

Keith shut the ship's engine, he opened the shaft on top and pulled himself out, they all turned to him and Keith crossed his hands tightly behind his back nervously.

The princess walked towards him and smiled at him, Keith didn't know if it was fake or real but it eased his nervousness a bit, his lips twitched and he turned to the paladin's lining up; he ignored Shiro's eyes and looked at the rest of them.

"Welcome your new Paladin and pilot for the red lion," she said, Keith ear's twitched and he looked towards the red lion then back at them.

"I'm Pidge," the smallest one said giving him a wave, the yellow smiled nervously "Uh Hunk here and this is Lance," he said waving his hands towards the rude human from before. Keith nodded and he tensed when Shiro took a step forward and held out his hand.

"I'm Shiro, glad to have you on the team," he said smiling, Keith felt his heart race, it was a pure genuine smile and it still affected him even after what Shiro did.

Keith looked down at the hand and frowned, "my name is Keith" he said, Shiro smile dimmed and awkwardly lowered his hand. "Keith huh? Sounds pretty human" he said making a joke.

Keith didn't know how to answer that so he just looked away, Lance frowned and his eyes narrowed, "yeah pretty fun huh, cause he's a Galra but has a human name" he said but it sounded like he was mocking him, Keith narrowed his eyes at him and felt his ears pull back.

Hunk jabbed his elbow in Lance's side and Lance looked away frowning, "we should get going then" he said crossing his arms. The princess nodded and turned towards the King and smiled at him, "thank you for your hospitality but we must depart" she said.

The king nodded and waved at them, "come back soon!" he shouted. Keith turned to the princess and frowned, "who will pilot my ship?" he asked.

"I will, you take the red lion and follow the rest of the Lions into the ship, there will be a spot for you to land lion," she said, "I'll see you guys at the ship" she added and walked towards Keith's ship.

Keith looked away from his ship and turned to his new ship which was technically a large red lion. Lance blocked his view, "do you even know how to pilot a huge magical robot?" he asked raising a thin eyebrow.

"I should because I did pilot it to the princess" he answered back, Lance looked him up and down and pursed his lips, "I suppose but don't forget that you're Galra and I'm going to be keeping an eye on you," he said stepping closer.

Keith's jaw clenched and he tilted his head, "go ahead I have nothing to hide" he sneered. Lance took another step forward when Shiro placed a hand on Lance's shoulder.

"Okay back up, you need to calm down," Shiro said sternly, Keith took step back and Lance snickered, "Oh did our big fearless leader scare you, you better sleep with one eye open tonight cause I don't trust you!" he hissed.

Keith clenched his fist and stepped forward, "do not forget that I am Galra and I am the one with heightened senses, I could  _hear_ your footsteps from a level down, if you try anything to me, it will be  _you_ who will need to sleep with an eye open!" Keith hissed.

"Okay, both of you need to calm down!" Shiro insisted placing a hand on Keith's shoulder.

"Do not touch me!" Keith hissed shrugging off Shiro's shoulder, "remember this—the lion chose me as her paladin and I do not care if you like it or not but you will respect me because I have not done anything to you" he growled at both of them, he shoved past Lance and towards his lion.

The lion's eyes flashed and it lowered his head so Keith could climb inside the cockpit, Keith slumped onto the warm leather seat and released a shaky breath, his shoulder still burned from Shiro's touch and he hated how badly Shiro affected him.

There were two problems, the human Lance who had no trust in him but Keith didn't care about that, he cared that Lance's rude attitude towards him, granted the other paladins didn't trust him either but Lance showed his distrust towards Keith and that put him in an uncomfortable position, either he could lose his temper or break down.

The other problem was that why did Shiro pretend not to know Keith, all those nights they spent together, the personal talks they had, his abuse from Lotor, how could Shiro ignore that. Did Shiro put up a face in the Galra prison, hoping that he would get on Keith's good side and escape while leaving Keith, but none of it made sense because it was Ulaz who helped Shiro escape not Keith—it was too confusing.

Keith's headache started up again and he followed the rest of the Lions towards the castle which was also a huge ship, the four lions separated and went into a shaft that opened up, Keith entered the shaft he guessed was his and landed the lion inside; the shaft closed and Keith unbuckled from his seat.

The lion lowered her head and Keith walked out from the cockpit and it stood up ahead and turned off. There were thunderous footsteps coming closer and Keith's ear twitched, he turned towards the door just as another Altean came running in with a wide grin on his pale face, he had weird orange hair and a thick curved mustache and blue markings under his eyes.

"Allur-aah! Who are you! Where'd you come from! Where's Allura! Oh, my Quiznack! You're a Galra! ALLLLUUUUURAAAA!"

Keith winced and his ears flattened on his head, he glared at the Altean man, said man quickly turned around and grabbed a metal pipe and held it out.

"Stand down beast! I know you hurt Allura!" he shouted, Keith frowned and his ears twitched, his sighed and crossed his arms, "I did not hurt the princess," he said.

"Lies! I can see it on your Galra face you heathen!" he hissed.

Keith raised an eyebrow and turned his attention towards the door when he heard footsteps running towards them, he relaxed when he saw Allura burst inside.

"Coran no!" she shouted running in between them "he saved me and when the red lion was captured he saved her and brought her back to us, he's a good Galra," she said quickly.

Coran paused and straightened up, "Oh well then I suppose this means....?" he trailed off.

"Keith is the red lion's new paladin," Allura said, Coran lowered his weapon and pursed his lip, "the red lion chose a Galra?" he said.

Keith frowned and crossed his arms, "is there something wrong with me?" he asked from behind Allura, Coran looked at him and walked passed Allura and squinted at him and put his thumb and forefinger together, "a bit small for a Galra aren't you" he said looking him up and down.

Keith felt his cheeks flush up and he wrinkled nose, "Shut up!" he snapped. Coran clapped his hands and smiled at Allura, "well I suppose this is good then right. We don't have to worry about the lion not listening to you, she found her true paladin" he said.

True Paladin?

Keith looked over his shoulder at the red lion and he swore he felt the lion in his mind purring at him, Keith smiled and the lion's purring rumbled louder in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't write fight scenes for shit! Grammar mistakes, I know there's a few or even a lot but I'll promise I'll look over it then fixed it but I had to get this uploaded because I was going to be busy for another week so I was like 'gotta upload then edit later'


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHO THE FUCK BINGED WATCH SEASON 3 WHEN IT CAME OUT BECAUSE I SURE DID, OH MY GOD THE LAST EPISODE WAS HONESTLY MY FAVORITE HANDS DOWN!
> 
> okay sorry for posting this chapter so fucking late, I'm sorry but it's been really tough at my place, my roommate is a total bitch and we're having some space issues, I'm so tempted to kick her out and pay the full rent or find a new roommate.
> 
> So as an apology, this chapter is a hella long :)

 "This will your new rooming quarters where you will sleep, do Galra sleep?" Coran asked, Keith grimaced and nodded, "we sleep like everyone else does" he stated. "Well then, this is where you sleep. I'll have someone call you for dinner" Coran said and skipped

"Well then, this is where you will sleep. I'll have someone call you for dinner" Coran said and skipped away before Keith could say anything, Keith looked around the room and realized it was far bigger than his room back at the Blades, a large bed on the side of the wall, a dresser beside it, another door which looked like the washroom, minimal stuff but a lot of space.

Keith placed his sack on the floor and sat down on the bed, it was also much more comfortable than the blades as well. Keith kicked off his muddy boots and crawled into the corner of his bed, he pressed himself against the wall and curled his knees to his chest.

Keith tried to relax but his body wasn't listening to him, it felt like he was still on adrenal from the mission, he was trembling and his head was still pounding. Keith scooted down the bed and flopped down onto the soft pillow and pulled the covers up to his chin, he curled into himself and closed his eyes; it was rather cold on the ship and considering he was only wearing a simple black body suit it didn't help at all.

There was a knock at the door and Keith lifted his head up tiredly, his ears twitched when he heard the nervous shuffle outside, Keith climbed out of the bed and walked over towards the door, it slid open to reveal Hunk.

"Did you need something?" Keith asked cocking his hips, Hunk pursed his lips and jerked his thumb to the left, "well Coran told me to call you for dinner" he, said.

"Oh, right then, lead the way," Keith said taking a step out of the room and following Hunk, they walked beside each other and nobody could deny the awkward tension between them.

"So, uh how are you liking your room?" Hunk asked. Keith shrugged crossed his fingers nervously in front of him, "it's comfortable I suppose" he murmured.

"Cool, cool" Hunk murmured back then pursed his lips, "um-"

"-If it makes you uncomfortable talking to me then please don't" Keith interjected, Hunk frowned and glanced down at him, "uh  _okay?_  I was actually going to say thanks for saving the princess and thanks for bringing back the lion" he said.

"Oh," Keith muttered with a frown, "well then you are welcome and thank you for welcoming me to your team...I suppose" he murmured.

"Hey no sweat, I mean it's not like we had a choice the red lion wouldn't let Allura pilot her anymore."

"Yes, I guess so," Keith said curtly,  _had no choice_ why did it sound like he was irritated with him, why did it sound like he wasn't wanted.

"Well behind the doors is the dining room, Coran's waiting for you in there with a food" Hunk said crossing his arms behind his head, "I should get going," he said and swiftly turned around.

"Wait—are you not going to eat?" Keith asked looking at him, Hunk turned around and let out a sheepish grin, "we uh we already ate before while you were getting comfortable in your new room" he said walking backward and gave Keith a wave.

"See ya tomorrow!" he called and turned around to jog off, Keith watched him disappear behind the corner and turned back to the doors, he pressed his hands to the side and it opened up with a soft 'hiss,' Keith entered the room and saw a small bowl of green goo waiting for him on the white table.

"Oh! You came, I was wondering when you would" Coran said coming out of the kitchen, he motioned for Keith to sit down and pointed to the good.

"This is traditional Altean Paladin meal, right after a good hard battle!" Coran said excitedly, Keith sat down and frowned down at the goo.

"Well I suppose it is getting late, I should head to bed. You should as well after you're done eating" Coran said walking towards the door, "if you want more, it's in the kitchen! Don't be shy about it!" he called and disappeared behind the door.

Keith looked back down at the bowl and dipped is the spoon in it, he licked his lips nervously and brought a small dollop in his mouth.

Keith gagged and his ears flattened against his head in disgust, "what kind of Altean meal is this?" Keith murmured to himself; but this was all they had and he shouldn't be picky about it, considering the fact that they brought him into the team.

Keith brought another spoonful in his mouth and he squeezed his eyes shut as the goo slithered down his throat, Keith held back a gag and breathed out from his nose, "I can do this" he muttered to himself.

The echoing of Keith's spoon hitting the bowl was the only sound in the large empty dining room, after many quintets of eating with the Blades, eating with Ulaz, Gru, Rhea, and Maur, Keith felt lonely, he felt empty and most of all he felt unwelcomed.

Keith could feel his heart pounding in his chest and there was a dull ache there, Keith left the half-eaten bowl and trudged back into his room, he hated this. All his life he was alone and suddenly for many quintets, he found Galra who were willing to stay with him and now he was alone again.

It was different than traveling alone, he had no one around him to make him feel unwanted and now he did and he realized how that felt like again—to have people around who didn't welcome him, to know that they  _had no choice_ but to bring him on this ship.

Keith turned the corner and grunted when he bumped into someone, he stumbled back and got a hold of his foot.

"Watch it!" Keith snapped glaring up at the person, his body froze when he saw Shiro rubbing his chest and smiling awkwardly at him.

"Sorry," Shiro said bringing his hand down to tap nervously against his thigh, "how was dinner?" he asked.

Keith looked away finally and shrugged, "can't complain" he murmured. Shiro bit his lips and nodded, "yeah it's gonna take some time to get used" he said then cleared his throat. "So, I just wanted to say thank you for saving the princess—I understand that it's gonna take some time for us to get used to you but-"

"-Yes I understand! I should feel so  _grateful_ that the Paladin's of Voltron brought me on their ship" Keith snapped, he knew he should've have snapped but he was so tired and so exhausted.

Shiro frowned and crossed his arms, "I wasn't going to say that" he said calmly, Keith scoffed and crossed his arms mimicking Shiro's pose, "but you were thinking it, do not take me for a fool, I know exactly what you are thinking-"

"-I wasn't thinking that either, look when someone I don't know does something so noble like that, I trust them fully and maybe just maybe there's a sliver of a doubt in me that I shouldn't trust you but I do and I know you we don't know each other-"

"-what do you mean by  _we don't know each other?"_  Keith demanded narrowed his eyes up at him.

"Can you stop interrupting me?" Shiro asked coarsely, Keith curled his lips and took a step forward making him crane his tilt his head up to glare up at Shiro.

"What do you mean by that statement!" he hissed.

Shiro frowned and raised an eyebrow, "because we  _don't_ know each other?" he said confusingly, Keith's jaw ticked and he did his best to calm himself, he would not get angry, he will not blow up on Shiro, if Shiro wanted to play this game then so be it.

"I think I should head to bed, I am exhausted from the battle," Keith said curtly stepping back and looking away.

Shiro opened his mouth to say something but didn't, he moved to the side and let Keith brush past him.

Keith stormed into his room and plopped on his bed, "stupid Shiro, stupid-stupid-stupid!" he hissed angrily, Keith kicked off his boots and fell to his side on the bed. Keith squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the covers over him, he did his best to get Shiro's face out of his mind.

Shiro's stupid smile, his stupid pretty eyes, his charm, his broken promises, his rejection. Keith's felt his eyes tear and he blinked harshly, he borrowed his face into the pillow and felt the familiar dull ache in his chest again. Keith hated him but couldn't hate at the same time, he curled into himself and fell asleep, fell asleep thinking of Shiro's promises. How they would travel the universe together; it may be broken promised but Keith could still dream and hope.

* * *

Keith woke up to his head pulsing and a pounding at the door. Keith sat up slowly and yawned, his ears twitching at the consistent knocking, Keith stumbled up and opened the door, he frowned at the Princess. Allura cleared her throat, "we are to meet in the training in a few dobashes, I'll have Hunk come get you" she said.

"Alright" Keith murmured and shut the door, he didn't care that he shut the door on the princess he was so irritated and exhausted. Keith stretched and moaned when his sore muscles tensed, Keith shuffled into the bathroom and washed up, he ran his fingers through his hair and put on his other dark purple body suit. Just as he was finishing putting on his boots, there was a knock on a door and Keith walked over to open.

"You ready?" Hunk asked, Keith, nodded and stepped out of his room. The silent walk to the training room was just as awkward as the walk to the dining hall last night. Keith kept his head straight and dared not to look over at Hunk even though he could see the large male keep glancing at him.

They reached the training deck and he found Lance and Pidge in the middle of the room stretching with Shiro leaning against the wall, he stood straight when he saw Hunk and Keith enter the room.

"Behave" he hissed at Lance walking past him, Lance huffed but didn't say anything as Shiro welcomed them.

"Where is Allura?" Keith asked looking around, "she can't join us today so I'm in charge for today," Shiro said, Keith crossed his arms and narrowed his eye at Shiro but let Shiro talk.

"So, today we are to work on fighting stance's, Lance you need to work on yours, Hunk you're fine and Pidge you need to work on yours too. Keith, how's your stance?" Shiro asked.

"He should be fine, he's a  _Galra_  remember," Lance said grimly, Hunk gave him a look from behind Keith which he ignored.

"You shouldn't be worried about mine, you should worry about yours. Shiro did say yours did need some work" Keith said stiffly.

Lance's eyes narrowed and Hunk quickly moved around Keith and grasped Lance's elbow tightly, "I think I should help Lance with his training you know" he said laughing nervously, Shiro nodded and Pidge pursed her lips watching them go the far corner of the training room.

"Then I guess you're helping me," Pidge said looking up at Shiro.

"I think it's best if you stay with Hunk and Lance, I'm gonna train with Keith for today," Shiro said shaking his head, Pidge frowned but eyed both Keith and Shiro before walking over to Lance and Hunk who were currently in a heated conversation.

"You do not have to do that" Keith said when Pidge left, Shiro turned around and raised an eyebrow at Keith, "I have no idea what're you're talking about" Shiro said innocently, Keith thinned his lips, "I can handle criticism just fine, I have dealt with far worse insults" he said coldly.

"Forget Lance, right now we're going to see how good you are at fighting," Shiro said turning his full attention to Keith, "two out of three?" he suggested.

"I'm sorry?" Keith asked frowning raising an eyebrow.

"We spar three times and whoever wins two of those times wins" Shiro explained, Keith crossed his arms and shook his head, "I do not want to fight with you" he stated.

Shiro furrowed his brows, "well you have to since Allura's not here and none of them are skilled fighters either" Shiro said jerking his thumb over to the group, they were currently trying to lift Hunk together, judging by their blue faces they couldn't.

"Yes but I want to fight Allura," Keith said stepping back, Shiro sighed and shook his head "you're going to train with Allura later, right now she's setting up a training plan for you and the lion," he said.

"what do you mean training with the lion? All you have to do is fly it" Keith said curtly, this was all too confusing and he did not want to spend the morning with Shiro.

"You have to bond with the lion as well" Shiro stressed out, Keith plopped his arms to his side and stared up at Shiro incredulously, "bond? It's a machine, well a technically advanced robot but it's still a machine" he said.

"Look Allura will explain everything to do but for now she put me in charge of physical training so I can see what level you're at," Shiro said.

Keith looked away but nodded stiffly, he heard Shiro sigh in relief and he glanced over to see Shiro getting in position and frowned, "are we not going to fight with weapons?" Keith asked curiously.

"We could but let's just say that in midst of battle that you lose your weapon, you'll have to fight with your fist, right," Shiro said.

"I suppose but I won't lose my weapon and if I did I usually find things around me to fight with," Keith said stepping in front of him.

Shiro's lips twitched and he rolled his eyes, "just humor me" he said, Keith bit the inside of his cheek but got in position too.

"Alright two out of three and no permeant hits, I don't want to leave the floor mat with a broken nose" Shiro teased, Keith blinked at him,  _why was he acting so friendly?_ He thought. Keith's eyes widened when Shiro rushed at him, he quickly side stepped the attack and he glared at Shiro.

"Pay attention, number one rule. I thought you were Galra" Shiro teased. Keith gritted his teeth and he ducked under the fist heading his way and took a quick step forward and jabbed his own punch in Shiro's gut.

Shiro stumbled back and Keith noticed his jaw clenched, "didn't I say not physical damage?" he said, Keith raised both brows at him and said, "You were just about to punch my face" he stated. Shiro's eyebrows furrowed and Keith took that as a distraction to spin around and raise his leg to kick at Shiro's shoulder, the impact brought Shiro down.

"If I had my sword, you would have been dead" Keith stated watching Shiro get up, rubbing his shoulder.

"I thought you were the leader of this group?" Keith taunted back, Shiro huffed a laugh but Keith saw the glint in his eyes, his ego was hurt and Keith wanted to bring it down another notch.

"One more?" he suggested getting in position, Shiro got in position as well just as Keith charged at him, Shiro side stepped from his hit but Keith jutted his leg out to trip Shiro, the stumble had Keith grabbing his upper arm, he twisted around and heaved Shiro over his shoulder and making him land on the mat with a loud thud.

"So that is...two times right?" Keith said peering down at Shiro, the glint was back but this time it was something else and Keith didn't know what it was until he was flat on his back with Shiro leaning over him, two fingers pressed against his throat with a grin.

"I win" he stated breathlessly. Keith's eyes narrowed and he bucked his legs up so they pressed flat against Shiro's stomach and he used all his strength and pushed Shiro back, he landed on his back with a grunt and Keith scrambled up.

Shiro rolled out of the way from Keith's kick at his stomach and he grabbed onto Keith's leg yanking him so he landed on his back, Keith yelped when he fell but rolled out of the way his Shiro's grip fell from his ankles, he scrambled up and just as Shiro did.

They watched each other carefully, taking each other in. Suddenly Shiro rushed forward, he lifted his leg and slammed it against Keith's hip hoping it would make him fall. However, it made him stumble but Keith quickly grabbed onto the calves and used his leg to kick at the back of Shiro's knees. Shiro fell flat on his back and Keith released Shiro's calves and pressed his foot on Shiro's chest as he groaned.

"I suppose now it's two out of three" Keith stated stepping back, Shiro sat up and rubbed his head "what did I say about easy on the physical" Shiro grunted.

Keith shook his head and looked over at the other group, they quickly slammed their heads away and he narrowed his eyes at them. Keith turned back to Shiro as he made no move to help him up.

"So, you're a pretty decent fighter" Shiro stated, Keith scoffed and crossed his arms "decent?" he accused, Shiro licked his lips and grinned at him, "you still need some work but now it looks like I need your help in training the rest" Shiro said walking closer, Keith watched him warily as he stood a foot away.

"They're not bad at fighting, Hunk uses his brute strength to attack but he's shit at dodged and it's vice versa with Lance; he can dodge really well but his physical attacks are horrible. Pidge is shit at both but she's good at using her weapon so we'll need to teach her physical attacks" Shiro said crossing his arms and looking over at them.

Now instead of trying to lift Hunk they were taking turns on doing impressions of Allura, Keith raised an eyebrow as Lance cupped his cheeks and fluttered them at Pidge, "they do not take this training seriously" Keith stated.

Shiro snickered and he nodded "yeah but that's how they train, it's less scary if they make it more fun for them," he said then turned to the group and clapped his hands loudly, they all looked up and jogged over.

"They responded like a pack of ririuts," Keith said tilting his head, Shiro furrowed his brows in confusion but didn't comment on Keith's statement. Shiro smiled at the group and gestured towards Keith, "looks like Keith fights pretty well, he'll help me train the rest of you" he said.

Lance frowned and the other two gave Keith a thinned lipped smile, "so how's that gonna work?" Lance demanded, crossing his arms.

"I'll take care of Hunk and you, since Keith's height is the closest to Pidge, he'll train her," Shiro said. Even though it wasn't an insult or a jab, Keith felt offended, his height was something he wasn't proud of.

"I don't trust Keith to work with Pidge" Lance interjected this time openly glaring at Keith, Shiro sighed and he gave Lance a look, "she'll be fine Lance, Keith's our new team member and our friend, you should respect that," he said.

"Like heck!" Lance cried, he pointed at Keith, "this freak will never be my friend! It's so funny how blinded you guys are! Sure, he saved Allura but no Galra is that nice! He probably has some evil plan hidden in his little Galra brain of his, he's waiting till we are at our weakest then  _BAM!_ he's going to attack!"

"Lance, that is enough!" Shiro ordered, Hunk jabbed his elbow into Lance's side and muttered at him to shut up.

"What! I'm telling you the truth!" Lance shouted ignoring Hunk's warning, Shiro glared at him and Keith rolled his eyes, "you can talk all you want but it is not going to do anything to me. I know exactly why I came here and I know exactly how I am as a Galra. Your little insults do not harm me, I've dealt with worse" Keith stated cocking his hip.

Lance turned his glare at Keith but Hunk yanked him back and smiled nervously at Keith, "ignore him, he hasn't had his breakfast" he said quickly. Keith scoffed and turned to Pidge, "follow me. I'd rather train away from the annoying brat" he stated, Pidge pursed her lips and waved her hand, "after you" she said.

Shiro turned to Lance once they were in a safe distance, "you need to watch your tongue. I understand that you don't trust Keith but I do and so does Allura, I'm not sure about Coran, Pidge or you Hunk but at least be civil" he ordered.

Lance crossed his arms tightly and glared down at his shoes, "I don't like him" he muttered. "Yes but you do need to respect him" Shiro said firmly then sighed when he saw how tense Lance was, "look for all we know you may be right about Keith but you also may not, give him a chance and if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" Shiro said, Lance nodded stiffly and Shiro sighed, he straightened up and started his training.

Keith walked towards the wall of weapons and frowned at them, it was either work with a wooden sword or a large wooden rod.

"Shiro doesn't like it when we use weapons unless we're fighting with the Gladiator" Pidge pipped from the back, Keith ignored her and grabbed two long rods, one smaller than the other.

Keith tossed the smallest one to Pidge and cocked his hips, "I do not like Shiro's method of training, he put me in charge and you are to follow my orders. If you do not like my way then you will talk it out with Shiro" Keith said, Pidge turned to look over at the other three boys and frowned when Shiro and Hunk were covering their noses and Lance laughing at them.

"I think I'm good" she stated, Keith nodded and tapped the end of his rod on the floor, "get in position, the first lesson is balancing," he said. Keith frowned when Pidge got in position, he shook his head and gently tapped the rod at the space between her knees, "your legs are too far apart, with that stance you will soon lose your balance" he said.

Pidge shifted her legs closer and Keith nodded, "now swing your rod at me" he said. Pidge nodded and swung, Keith used his rod to block her blow and frowned.

"Your swing was off balance when you struck. Remember to move your leg forward, the one opposite of which you're using your weapon on, for example; you used your right arm, move your left leg and then quickly step back" he said.

Pidge did it again and Keith nodded, "still a bit unbalanced but you got the idea, remember fighting is like a dance, smooth fluid movements, your body shouldn't be using that much energy, until you are using an attack," Keith said and demonstrated the swing.

"Try again, swing at me," Keith said, "remember to put all your force into the swing" he added. Pidge nodded and swung again, Keith quickly put out his rod and smiled when the impact of the two rods hitting echoed the training deck.

"Good, now hit again," he said, Pidge grinned and swung a few more times, each time the impact hitter harder and harder.

"Now the other arm," Keith said tossing the rod to his other hand, Pidge frowned and she lifted her left hand and wiggled her fingers, "Uh I'm right handed," she said.

Keith frowned and he tilted his head, "what do you mean?" he asked, Pidge raised both her brows and shrugged, "it means, that my dominant hand is my right and I can't do shit with my left hand" she said.

"You humans do not use both hands?" Keith asked curiously, Pidge pursed her lips and shook her head, "well there is a low percentage of human on earth that use both hands but most do use right hands and I would say around thirty perfect use the left hand," she said 

"That is rather odd" Keith murmured raising a brow at Pidge.

"Well you being purple is odd" Pidge shot back, Keith shook his head, "well you are going to learn how to use your other hand. Let us say during a battle that your dominant hand is injured, how are you to fight?" he asked.

"Uh...well I'd probably use my grappling hook and try to get away but usually Allura never lets us go on missions alone," Pidge said.

"Right well let us say, for example, you went on a mission with Hunk and he's down and it's all up to you to fight against a few Sentries and there is no way to grapple away and your dominate hand is injured, how will you fight then?" Keith asked.

Pidge gritted her teeth and she held up her left hand, "with this hand" she muttered. "Exactly, so in order to ensure your complete safety, we are to train your left hand," Keith said and went over to stand beside her, he swung the rod horizontally in front of him.

"Repeat what I just did, " Keith said, Pidge sighed but swung her hand, it was awkward but she wobbled on her feet a bit but Keith ignored it and told her to do it again.

"Now swing upwards, with your wrist facing up facing the ceiling" Keith instructed, he watched as Pidge awkwardly swung the rod up, over and over again, he could see her straining after the fifth try so he changed the course of the swing.

Pidge could feel her muscles straining during the workout, her left arm hasn't done this much work at all and all her mind was screaming at her to stop but she finished the rep and lowered her arm and her breathing coming in soft pants, 

"Good now, we will continue your left arm training tomorrow, for now, let's work on attacking," Keith said.

"Come at me with single attacks," Keith said, he watched carefully as Pidge took a step forward and swung her rod horizontally, Keith stepped to the left and brought up his rod to block her attack. They went at it like that for many dobashes, Keith could see the light sheen of sweat along her forehead and he could smell it as well.

"I think that is enough physical training for the day," Keith said, Pidge dropped her rod and let her arms drop to her side, "that was tough" she panted. Keith didn't want to admit it but he preened under her praise and he jerked his head over to Shiro, "tougher than his training sessions?" he asked.

Pidge snorted and looked over, the two idiots were on the floor panting while Shiro stared down at them unimpressed.

"For sure cause, Shiro tends to go easier on me," Pidge stated. Keith frowned and he looked over at Shiro, "does he favor you over them?" he asked. Shiro glanced over and Keith snapped his head away quickly.

Pidge shrugged, "not sure, I mean he was best friends with my brother," she said.

"Your brother?"

"The same human who was captured alongside with my father and Shiro," Pidge said stiffly, Keith frowned and he looked down at her, "I remember now," he said, "the small one that looks very similar to you, I was wondering why you looked so familiar," he said.

"You saw my brother?" Pidge asked looking up at him. Keith nodded, "I didn't fully see him" Keith lied, "I saw him in one of the holograms, you brother and Shiro were taken on a different ship than the one I was in but the rumors spread fast that the Galra had captured three humans on Kerberos," Keith said.

It wasn't the full truth nor was it the full lie, Keith did see Pidge's brother but he only saw him once and that was on the battle field after that he disappeared.

"In Galra empire, which rank were you in?" Pidge asked curiously, Keith blinked at her "rank?" he asked."Yeah, rank? Were you a general, commander, a fighter pilot? What were you?" Pidge asked.

Keith's lips twitched and he sighed, "I was none of those, I didn't even have a rank, my position was as you could say a pawn in the Galra empire," Keith said softly.

"Oh,"

Keith's ears twitched when he heard approaching footsteps and he glanced up to see Shiro walking their way, "so I guess training's over, Lance and Hunk were getting tired" he said. Keith frowned and he crossed his arms, "that early? It's barely been a Varga" Keith stated.

"Yeah but the guys are really tired so I cut the training short, besides Allura wants to see you down at the hangar," Shiro said.

Keith frowned as Pidge walked past them and met up with Lance and Hunk in the front of the training deck.  _They do not talk training seriously_ Keith thought, but he didn't want to start a fight so he let Shiro handle training.

"I saw the way you trained," Shiro said, Keith narrowed his eyes at him and crossed his arms, "yes and what of it?" he asked.

"Nothing, I mean your training is good and all but don't work Pidge too hard," Shiro said, Keith scoffed and he took in pleasure as Shiro tensed and narrowed his eyes at him.

"You gave her to me remember, she is mine to train and I will do as I will to her to make sure she survives," Keith stated.

"I did and I can easily take her back, go easy on her. Pidge is still very small and kind of sensitive," Shiro said.

"You do realize that we are in a middle of a war, you dotting on Pidge is not going to help," Keith said, Shiro's jaw clenched and he crossed his arms tightly in front of his chest.

"I think I'll handle that," Shiro said tensely.

"Yes, I can see that," Keith shot back, he held his ground when Shiro's eyes twitched, he took a step back and nodded his head towards the door, "Coran's waiting to escort you to Allura," Shiro said.

Keith didn't spare him another glance and calmly walked out of the training deck even though he wanted to run out, he wouldn't express how Shiro got under his skin.

"Hello! Did you have a good night's rest?" Coran asked when Keith excited the training deck, Keith nodded and he followed a few steps behind Coran towards the hangar, "I hope team didn't give you a hard time" Coran called from the front.

"No...they were fine," Keith said crossing his arms, Coran glanced over his shoulder and smiled, "Lance must have said something, he'll warm up soon enough," he said and turned back to face the pathway.

"He's just angry, I understand his mistrust towards me but he is rather rude" Keith muttered, Coran laughed and he stretched his arms above his head, "you can say that. The first time we met, Lance didn't even want to stay, he wanted to leave as soon as possible" he said then sighed wistfully, "I do feel bad to keep these kids here for a selfish reason but they are all we have. I understand the loss of a family," he said.

Keith couldn't relate, he understood that there was no one for him, granted the blades took him in but he felt guilty for not missing them, he missed Maur but not as much as he missed Kolivan, Antok, Grur, or even Rhea; they were more like friends he guessed not as close as families, he didn't know what it felt like to have a family.

Ulaz was a different story, Ulaz saved him, he helped him, he stood up for him...Ulaz felt like a father to him, if that's how a father is supposed to be like.

"Are you still there?"

Keith blinked and looked up at Coran, "excuse me?" he asked frowning. Coran wiggled his mustache and tapped his temple, "you stopped walking and your eyes glazed over, I thought you stopped working," he said.

Keith furrowed his brows at him and stepped back so Coran wasn't in his personal space, "Galra's don't just stop working, we still have bodily functions as an Altean, it might not be the same but similar, we are not machines" Keith stated feeling the anger rise in him.

Coran blinked and he stood up straighter, "I was saying a figment of speech or as Lance says, I might have said it wrong," Coran said then twisted the end of his mustache, "I must have said it wrong" he murmured to himself.

Keith shook his head, "look I do not have time to waste, can we please head to the lions I'd rather train then talk about speeches" Keith stated.

"Yes of course!" Coran shouted pointing a finger upwards, Keith's ears twitched at the high volume. Keith followed behind Coran as he hummed an obnoxious tune, Keith had a sick feeling that Coran was doing this on purpose just to bother him.

They finally reached the hangar and Keith's ears were now flat on his head, he stormed past Coran, ignoring his annoying "Good bye!" and sighed in relief when the door shut behind him.

"I'm sorry about it, he can get a bit excited. I'm sure he did not mean any harm" Allura said coming up to him with a hesitant smile, Keith shrugged and shook off the apology, "Shiro said we had to do some bonding?" Keith said instead.

Allura eyes lit up and she nodded, "bonding with your lion is very important, it's what propels to the lion to do exactly what you say and what you want, without a bond the lion does not listen and it is difficult to form Voltron with," Allura said.

"I can guess that your bond was not strong enough?" Keith said, he must've guessed right by the way Allura flinched, she nodded stiffly and looked over at the giant red lion. "My bond was not strong enough, she did not deem me worthy enough but she does seem to like you and I want your bond to be strong with her.

The red lion is most difficult to master out all five of them, she is very temperamental and she needs a pilot that uses more instinct than experience," Allura said.

"That's good because I do not have much experience in flying giant lions," Keith said walking over, "how do we start?" Keith asked turning around to look at Allura, she walked forward until she was standing beside Keith and place a hand on the silver claws of the lion.

"Climb inside her and try to make your minds think alike, talk to her, explain to her, bonding with a lion is not something to be taught, it's something each paladin learns along the way," Allura said.

Keith nodded and he looked up at the lion, his eyes narrowed and the lion's eyes gleamed, the lion lowered its massive head and opened her mouth, Keith climbed in and up the mouth towards the cockpit.

"Also...if you take off with a lion, we will catch you," Allura called from behind. Keith turned to look at her and scoffed, "I'm not that stupid!" he called back and the lion closed her mouth and Keith entered the cockpit, his fingers grazed over the leather seating and he sat down.

"Alright now—bond with me" Keith stated, the lion did nothing and Keith tried again, "bond with me," again nothing.

Keith pursed his lips and leaned back in the seat, he crossed his arms and tapped his claws on his arms, "how do you bond with a lion?" Keith asked himself, "this harder than physical training," he said.

"Alright—lets focus, calm down, deep breaths, have patience" Keith said and uncrossed his arms and placed his hands on his lap and slowed his breathing, he shut his eyes and let his mind relax, he put away his anger and stress from Shiro, the annoyance from Lance and Coran, Ulaz, Maur, he put all the emotions towards the back of his head and cleared his mind.

"Come on kitty" Keith breathed, there was a sudden roar at the back of his eyes and Keith's shot up eyes and the control panel lit up and the window opened up to show the hangar, Keith smiled and he grabbed onto the handle and shouted out through the comms to the princess.

"I will be back soon!"

Keith jerked forward the handle and the lion stood up and sped out into the opening of the ship, he shot out into the open space and giddily laughed, he pushed the handle forward and it sped up around the ship.

"So much better than flying the other ship" Keith whispered to himself, he heard a purr and he realized that it was the lion agreeing with him. Keith looked at the control panel and frowned at the multiple buttons.

"I wonder what this does" Keith murmured pressing a small square button, he saw through the window that a laser shot out of the lion's mouth, he grinned and did it again.

"Keith! Try not to shoot at the ship!"

Keith frowned and looked over at the window and realized that it was a small screen of Allura glaring at him, "sorry" he murmured.

"That is alright, just bring the lion back inside," Allura said and turned the screen off. Keith huffed and slowly pushed the lion back towards the opening and landed it in the hangar, the opening shut and he saw Allura waving at him to get out.

Keith patted the lion and it purred happily in his mind before lowering her head so Keith could get out, once he was out the lion straightened up and turned off.

"Did I pass the test?" he asked Allura when she walked over, Allura sighed and patted his arm, "yes you did," she said, "come now, I have to show you to your new uniform," she said.

Keith followed her through a small door that led up a narrow hallway to a dark lighted circular room. Along the walls were tall glass cylinder containers, in one was a red paladin's uniform.

"This will be yours, there is an entry for you lion, much faster to get to when there's an actual emergency, I'll show to you afterward," Allura said then walked over to a long table where a red, white, and black weapon lay.

"This is your Bayard, a traditional Voltron weapon. It takes on a shape for each paladin," Allura said, Keith went over and grabbed it, his smile widened when the Bayard flashed white and a double edge sword appeared.

"I figured," Allura said when Keith lifted the sword and tilted it against the light, "keep the uniform here, come with me, I have to show you one more thing," Allura said leading him up the hallways towards the control room.

"Each paladin has their own way to get into their lions, this is the red paladin's entrance, the entrance is pretty simple so you don't have to worry about that," Allura said.

"Anything else?" Keith asked turning to Allura, he sighed in relief when she shook her head.

"Can I get something to eat? I have not eaten since this morning" Keith said and placed his hand on his stomach when it gurgled, usually he was used not eating meals, he could go without days without eating but after escaping and eating three meals a day and having a snack in between, he had gotten used to the habit and now he was starving.

"Of course, I'm sure it is already lunch time," Allura said. Allura led Keith back up towards the main parts of the ship and towards the dining room, sure enough, everyone was already seated and eating.

"How was training?" Coran asked plopping a spoonful of the weird green goo in his mouth, Allura smiled, "it went smoothly and the red lion responded to Keith very easily, how was physical training?" she asked Shiro walking over and sitting down beside Coran and opposite of the paladins.

Keith awkwardly walked over and sat down between Hunk and Pidge, he looked down at the green goo and poked his spoon in it.

"Great, awesome even. I put Keith in charge of handling Pidge, they seem to get along great" Shiro answered stiffly, he must be still upset about training session even though he shouldn't be.

"Yes, Pidge has very much potential, a few more training sessions, I bet she could beat Lance with her eyes closed—well considering his session today, anyone could beat him even with their eyes opened," Keith said and held back a smirk when Lance slammed his spoon down and glared at him.

"Excuse me!" he shouted trying to stand but Shiro had quickly grabbed him by the elbow and pushed him back down into the chair.

"Calm down, Keith that was unnecessary and Lance you do need to work on your battle techniques," Shiro said.

Keith rolled his eyes and ignored Lance's heated glare towards him, the conversation started up again and Keith tried to keep up but there were too many things he didn't understand or didn't know.

_"Why do we even have to eat lunch with him?"_

Keith's ears twitched and side glanced over at Lance who was leaning over and whispered to Hunk,  _"I mean it's not like he has any feelings if we eat without him, he should be fine"_  Lance whispered.

Keith looked back down at his bowl and pretended he couldn't hear Lance, he spooned another spoonful of goo in his mouth and forced it down. That was the only thing Keith could do, pretend he didn't hear anything and just go on with his life, pretend that the team does trust him, granted its a given since he's Galra but how many times does he have to prove himself that he's not evil.

 _"Lance stop being rude, he's trying okay and you need to give him a chance"_ Hunk whispered back,  _"like hell!"_  Lance whispered harshly.

"After lunch, we are to do our next level training," Allura said. Lance frowned, "awe c'mon Allura, I'm tired!" he whined.

"No, you five need to practice forming Voltron,"

"Yeah but we already know how to" Lance muttered, Pidge rolled her eyes and pushed up her glasses, "we may but Keith doesn't. Did you forget that he has no idea how to form Voltron," she said giving Lance a side glare.

"Oh yeah..." Lance murmured then peeked over and squinted suspiciously at Keith to which he ignored and looked at Allura, "when does training start?" he asked.

"Well, for right now, Coran has the ship set on auto pilot to an isolated planet in which you five are to fly down and train, Shiro you are in charge. You paladins better behave because we are not to leave that planet until you five have form Voltron multiple times," she said then narrowed her eyes on Lance.

"Hunk make sure everyone stays civil," she said, Lance's ears flushed red and Hunk smiled at her sheepishly.

Allura got up and left the dining hall with Coran following after her, Keith didn't hear them talk so he guessed that they knew about his hearing and went to talk further away.

"I'm done too," Lance said getting up, Hunk stayed put until Lance jabbed at him. Pidge got up as well and stretched her arms above her head, "well I can't eat anymore. I'm gonna go to my room and rest for a bit, my arms hurt from training," she said leaving seconds after Hunk and Lance.

Keith glanced over at Shiro and noticed him staring at him, Keith quickly looked away and stirred the spoon into his half-eaten bowl of goo. Keith's ears twitched when he heard Shiro clear his throat, "so uh how was training with Allura?" he asked.

Keith shrunk into his seat and shrugged, "It went well" Keith said then winced at the abrupt tone in his voice.

"Good, good" Shiro said awkwardly, Keith could hear Shiro's teeth grinding in his mouth and looked over, he looked just as awkward as he sounded, his was nervously tapping his fingers against his thighs and looked down into his empty bowl and the awkwardness just rolled from him.

"I should go...I can't eat any more of Coran's Altean goo" Keith murmured getting up, his ears flattened at the back of his head when his chair shrilled along the floor.

"Yeah, I should head out too," Shiro said getting up. Keith cursed his bad luck and walked a few inches behind Shiro into the hallways.

Keith kept his gaze straight even though he could feel Shiro's gaze on him, he stopped when they reached the lounge room, "I am feeling rather tired, I should head to my room" Keith said.

"I'll take you there," Shiro said stepping forward but Keith stepped back and gave him a fake smile, "I think I know my way now—I should be fine," he said quickly.

Shiro paused and Keith didn't give him the chance to say anything else before storming past him to his room where he could relax and be away from the team for a while.

* * *

"Shiro?"

Shiro blinked and looked up to see Pidge, Hunk, and Lance frowning at him, "sorry did I zone out again?" he asked sheepishly.

"Yeah, for like the umpteenth time, you okay man?" Lance asked leaning back against the couch, Shiro shook his head, "it's nothing. Don't worry, anyways who's turn was it anyway?" Shiro asked.

"Yours," Hunk said then glared at Lance when he tried to peep at his cards, "seriously" he stated. Lance huffed and slunk back to his own spot and glared at his deck. Shiro looked at the cards splayed out in front of him and realized that he couldn't put one day so he grabbed one from the deck.

"Uno," Pidge said slapping her a green four, she grinned at Lance and he brought up his cards to shield it from Shiro's gaze and flicked Pidge off,  _"I will end you"_ he mouthed at her.

Pidge pulled down the skin from her eye and stuck her tongue at Lance, he sneered at her then frowned when Hunk put down a green card, Lance looked through his cards and peeked up at Pidge who was wiggling her eyebrows at him while waving her single card at him.

Lance pursed his lips and carefully chose a green five and placed it down. Shiro's eyebrows shot up and he quickly put down three sets of cards, a green, a blue, and a red all a five. Pidge snorted and flung a red one down at the table, "I win" she boasted.

"Aw man! I was so close too!" Hunk whined, Lance tossed his remaining cards at Pidge and she quickly grabbed the deck of cards on the table and chucked them at Lance while he screamed 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry!' at her while covering his face with his arms.

"Should we invite Keith to play?" Shiro said suddenly putting down his cards, they all looked at him and Lance groaned, "is that what you've been thinking about! Dude forget Keith, he's not our friend," Lance said.

"Lance that's not fair, Keith did nothing to you nor to us," Shiro stated. Lance threw up his hands and stood up, "did you forget that he's Galra! I swear everyone in this castle does! Galra destroy planets, they destroy things, they destroy life! How am I the only one who's angry by this!"

"Lance, I think you need to calm down," Pidge started when she noticed the tick in Shiro's jaw, Hunk grabbed Lance by the sleeve of his jacket and tugged at it but Lance shook off his hand.

"Like heck!"

"Look I don't like the current position we're in either but we just have to pull through it," Shiro interrupted, he stood up and glared at Lance, "but I will not stand for any of my team members verbally abusing my other team member, is that clear Lance?" he stated coldly, they all tensed up and Lance looked down and squirmed under the Shiro's gaze.

"I said is that clear?" Shiro asked again.

Lance nodded and mumbled out a 'yes' before sitting back down. Shiro nodded and tossed down his cards on the table, "I'm gonna head to the training deck, you guys can continue on playing but be vigilant for an emergency," he said.

They nodded and waited for Shiro to leave before they sighed in relief, "dang man he's intense" Hunk whispered.

"Yeah well, he wasn't chosen for the Kerberos mission just because he was an ace pilot," Pidge said grabbed the cards and fixing them up right before shuffling them.

They continued on playing cards for a few more hours, then they moved onto a game that Lance used to play with his nieces and nephews back at home, that got boring after a while so they turned off the lights and told horrible ghost stories; Hunk was scared from all of them and Pidge told the scariest, Lance told the most fake stories ever but it worked on Hunk so he was fine with it.

"Paladin's get to your Lions, I will instruct you through the comms, Coran and I will stay on the ship to make major adjustments," Allura's voice came throughout the Castle.

"Well time to face Voltron training part two," Lance said standing up and stretching, Hunk groaned and covered his hands, "is Coran going to shoot us with lasers again!" he whined.

"He better not!" Lance cried shoving his hands into his pockets, "if he does I'm taking cover under you," Pidge said to Hunk, Lance looked over his shoulder and grinned, "I think it's gonna be the other way around," he said and snickered when Hunk glared at him.

They got into uniform and into their hatch that takes him down towards the entrance of the hangar, they all met outside of the Ship and looked down at the small planet, it was probably smaller than the earth's moon.

"Coran and I chose this planet especially because it doesn't have many large trees or mountains, it's all flat land, with a few lakes and rivers but please be careful, there are creatures living down there, try not to disturb them," Allura said, her face popping up in the corner of their Lion's screen.

"Copy, everyone follow me!" Shiro called, pushing his lion down towards the planet while the ship hovered above them.

The rest of the lions followed him, they landed on a huge clearing far away from the trees, enough room for them to train.

"How does this work?" Keith asked through the comms, he frowned when all four of their faces popped up on the screen, his eyes narrowed when Lance stuck his tongue at him.

"You know we can see you, Lance," Shiro stated glaring into the screen. Lance quickly stuck his tongue back inside and smiled innocently at him.

"Keith, from now on until the end we are a team, we work together and we fight together. So, when you form Voltron, we five become one and have to think as one huge robot. It might take a few tries, trust us, it took some time but hopefully we'll have enough time to finish training," Shiro said smiling gently.

Keith was thankful he was wearing his helmet or everyone would have seen the flush on his cheeks, he nodded mutely and their faces disappeared and Keith could stare out at the empty field of thin blades of grass swaying in the wind.

Keith took a deep breath and the red lion purred gently, "you ready?" Keith whispered. The lion purred again and Keith shut his eyes, he thought of Voltron, the grainy photo back in the Blades, defeating Zarkon, thought of Ulaz, Maur, everything he needed so he can form Voltron.

"Keith are you ready?" Shiro asked, his voice coming through his helmet comms, "hopefully" Keith answered back.

"Alright, we'll give this a try. Everyone get to the skies," Shiro ordered, Keith pulled back the handles and the red lion gently flew up towards the sky.

"Okay everyone, Form Voltron!" Shiro shouted.

Nothing happened, Keith frowned and he peered at the control panel, "uh is there a button I am supposed to press?" he asked.

Shiro came onto the screen and shook his head, "No, this is a mental process, there is no manual button. You'll have to try harder and form a bond with your lion, only then you'll be able to form Voltron," Shiro said.

"I see," Keith murmured frowning, he leaned back into the seat and tapping his foot nervously, "this is much harder than it sounds and looks," he said. Shiro laughed, "yeah but we'll try again," he said and disappeared again.

"Bond...bond...bond" Keith murmured shutting his eyes, they had to work as a team.

"Uh this isn't going to work," Pidge said her face coming up onto the screen, Keith peeked an eye open and frowned at her, the rest of them popped up as well and Keith fully opened his eyes and gave her a look, "why is that?" he asked.

"Because we're not actually a team...not yet," Pidge said, Hunk snapped his fingers, "exactly! Remember Coran and Allura tied our hands together then we had that huge food fight, we have to bond as a team not just with our lions," Hunk said.

"Hunk you're a genius," Lance said smiling, Hunk snorted and waved his hands in front of his face, "aw thanks man," he said.

Shiro sighed, "guess we'll land and see what we can do, although it should be safer for us to land deeper into the forest where we're not spotted so easily," he said pushing his lion down. Keith nodded and they all followed Shiro down and over towards the large trees, the lions ducked in easily until they found a clearing big enough for the lions to form a circle around them.

They climbed out of the cock pit and landed roughly onto the dirty floor, Shiro looked around and put his hands on his hips, the clearing wasn't too small and the trees created a barrier for the sun and hopefully rain judging by the looks of the dark cloud rolling in.

"This should be safe enough and the area looks pretty empty to me," he said then turned his gaze to the group.

"We'll just have to form a team so Allura can let us inside, I sent her a message and she's actually serious about not letting us inside the ship unless it's a dire emergency, for now, we'll just camp out here. Lance, Hunk you two set up camp while Pidge and I look around for water and food, Keith go gather some wood for the fire," Shiro ordered.

Hunk and Lance were already heading over towards their lions for the supplies, Pidge was a step ahead of Shiro and disappeared into the forest with Shiro chasing after her just in case she got lost.

Keith turned the opposite way and disappeared behind the large shrubs and into the dense forest, he piled dry wood in his arms while looking around to start up the fire with, Keith knelt down and used one hand to move a huge rock to pick up some moss.

Keith froze when he heard a chirp not too far away, he slowly stood up and looked behind him, the chirp came again and Keith dropped the wood and stepped forward with his Bayard out, Keith slowly stepped forward towards the small shrub, the chirp was louder this time and Keith gave the shrub a small nudge with his toe.

Keith tilted the head when a whine came out instead, Keith knelt down and spread apart the shrubs and looked confusingly at the small creature hiding behind the shrub.

It was a Feruz, a small creature with bright red fur, a short thin muzzle with large floppy ears on top of its head, twin tails the color of ebony, from its legs and down the fur was completely white with black nails and the eyes dark as amber staring up at him.

The Feruz chirped again and hobbled back, Keith then noticed that it was favoring his front paw, Keith slowly brought out his hand and let the Feruz slowly stumble forward and sniff at its purple fingers, he probably deemed Keith safe because he ducked his head under Keith's hand and nuzzled up into it.

Keith smiled and he rubbed his claws gently on top of the Feruz's head, "where are your parents?" he asked gently trailing down his nails and laughing gently when the Feruz arched his back into Keith's claws.

Keith scooted closer, he brought both of his hands under the creature and lifted it up, he huffed happily into Keith's arms and snuggled in the crook of his elbow, "we should find your parents, but first we need to take a look of that paw," Keith said gently pulling himself down so he was sitting on the ground instead of kneeling.

The Feruz whined when Keith's touched his front paw, "doesn't look broken, I bet it's probably sore" Keith said feeling around, he didn't feel anything wrong with the paw. The Feruz chirped and Keith looked around until saw something he could wrap the creatures paw with, Keith pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the tree, he placed the Feruz on the ground and he leaned against him as Keith reached up to grab some of the leaves hanging from a low hanging branch.

Leaves were very flimsy and perfect for wrapping around wounds and its sap was a great glue because it hardened the leaves to make it stiffer, Keith leaned down and grabbed the Feruz's sore leg and wrapped the long thin leave around the leg, Keith rubbed the other leaf on a rough rock so the sap so it would release some sap, he used that to glue the leaves together, Keith did the same with its paw.

"There, that should help," Keith said releasing the Feruz, he stumbled on his feet but with the help of the bandages, he wasn't limping that badly anymore.

"Now, we gotta find your parents," Keith said getting up and walking over to the Feruz, he tumbled around Keith's legs before hobbling back into the shrubs, Keith frowned and followed him past the shrubs, he stopped when he saw two older Feruz's circling the little one and sniffing at his leg.

The smaller of the two looked up and growled at Keith and took a threatening step forward, Keith slowly backed up and the Feruz stopped growling but his teeth were still bared, Keith gave the smaller one a look before disappearing away from their little happy family and gathered back up the sticks.

"How are we gonna think of him as a team member! No one I mean no one wants him here!"

Keith stilled and his swiveled his ears towards Lance's voice.

"I mean I don't mind him," Pidge said but Keith heard Lance snort, "Pidge you're just saying that so you can get on Shiro's good side," Lance said.

"I think Lance is right, I mean the Galra did destroy many planets and like I don't feel comfortable when one of them is sleeping on the same ship as us and that also being him being our team member," Hunk said.

Keith clenched his fingers around the wood, he lowered his ears flat against his ear.

"I can't even stand looking at him, he just looks so evil, I think he's lying about being a prisoner in the Galra ship, he's a sick using that excuse so he could get on Allura's and Shiro's good side," Lance said.

"Keith told me he was a pawn in the Galra ship, I don't think he's lying about that Lance," Pidge scolded.

Keith's ears twitched, he straightened his shoulders and walked through the dense leaves into the clearing, they all clamped their mouths shut and Keith dropped the pile of sticks in front of Lance.

"Here," Keith said, Lance's eyes narrowed and he stood up, "what am I supposed to do with this?" he demanded.

"Make the fire, I don't know how to make it," Keith lied, he walked over and sat down on the log beside Pidge.

There was an awkward silence until Shiro entered the clearing with their flask full of water, "Hey guys," he called smiling at them, he handed everyone their flask and pointed towards the wood. "Who's in charge of making the fire?"

"It was Keith but apparently he said he doesn't know how to start a campfire," Lance said sitting back down.

Shiro frowned and he shrugged, "if he doesn't then he doesn't, Lance you start the fire while Keith and I will start gutting the fish, Pidge can peel the fruits with Hunk," Shiro said. Lance eyed Keith as he plopped back down on the log and started arranging the wood pieces.

"Here," Shiro said tossing him a large fish, Keith caught it sunk his nail into so it didn't slip from his hands.

Keith used his Bayard to scrap the scales of the fish and then gut it, he tossed the guts beside him and chopped off the head, Keith eyed Lance and his lips twitched when he saw the human struggle with the woods.

Hunk took pity and he took over Lance's job while Lance helped with the fruits, Keith frowned at Hunk got the fire started in no time, Hunk looked up and met Keith's eyes and his own eyes narrowed.

Keith looked away and grabbed the fish guts and heads before tossing them into the fire, "so Keith, how is that you have a human name?" Hunk asked nonchalantly.

Hunk was sitting forward with his arms on his knees, a threatening stance,  _he was getting protective of Lance_ , Keith thought.

"I do not know but what does it matter?" Keith asked, Hunk shook his head, "can't I ask a question?" he asked calmly but his eyes were far from calm.

Keith's jaw clenched, "does it bother you that I have a human name?" he asked. Lance snorted and Keith turned his glare to Lance.

"Guys can you calm down, please we're supposed to be a team," Shiro said.

"I wouldn't want to be a team if I knew two of my members were talking shit about me," Pidge muttered, Keith's glare vanished and he blinked over at Pidge, she handed him a peeled fruit and Keith hesitantly took it.

Shiro glanced over at Hunk and Lance, they both looked away and Shiro glared at them, "is what Pidge saying true?" he asked. Keith bit into the sweet juice and looked between the three members.

"I guess..." Lance murmured, Shiro exhaled sharply and he crossed his arms, "what did I say about verbally abusing a team member, what is more important? You not liking Keith cause he's a Galra or the whole entire universe because from the past day it looks like you're caring about yourself and Hunk I excepted better from you," Shiro said stiffly.

Hunk looked embarrassed and he lowered his gaze but Lance snapped his head up and glared at Shiro, he pointed at Keith and started shouting, "I'm not being selfish, I just don't know how you can let a Galra in the team!"

"For your information, I never wanted to join this team anyway, it was the princess who forced me, I declined many times!" Keith shouted back, Shiro stepped in between them, he gave Lance a stern look before turning to Keith.

"If you want to leave then that's fine, I won't stop and neither will anyone else," he said. Pidge snapped her head up and her mouth fell open, "Shiro you can't! If he leaves then who's going to pilot the red lion!" she hissed.

"We'll figure it out but we can't force someone to be on this team," Shiro said turning to Pidge, he turned to Keith and gave him a hesitant smile, "we won't stop you, you can inform Allura that it didn't work out and I'm sure she'll let you go," he said.

Keith hesitated before he shook his head, "I will not leave for my own selfish reason, the bigger picture is defeating Zarkon and free these innocent planets from Zarkon's reign and to do that I have to stay and pilot the red lion," he said.

Shiro turned to Lance and raised an eyebrow, Lance sighed and he stepped forward before giving Keith an embarrassed look, "'m sorry," he murmured.

Hunk leaned forward and gave him a nudge and Lance stumbled forward almost bumping into Shiro, "I'm sorry," he said more clearly and squirmed under the attention, "I was being a huge jerk and I shouldn't have misjudged you, I also shouldn't have said those rude comments before either, I was in the wrong and I'm sorry," Lance said.

Hunk nodded and he held out his hand, "I'm sorry as well, I-we shouldn't have assumed the worst," he said.

Keith narrowed his eyes at them and his ears twitched, he stepped forward and awkwardly shook Hunk's hand, "I suppose that's alright," he said and quickly folded his arms behind his back. Shiro sighed in relief and he clapped his hands, "awesome, now that's dealt with, who's up for fried fish?" he said grinning.

"Me!" Lance shouted and hopped back over to his spot with Hunk following, Pidge sat back down next to Keith and wrinkled her nose at the smell of the burnt fish, "I think these might have overcooked," she stated.

"Ugh yeah, Shiro I think these are far from burnt," Hunk stated holding up his charred fish, Keith took a hesitant bite and his ears perked up, "I think they taste fine," he murmured devouring the fish in two single bites, he licked his lips and gratefully took the blackened fish that Pidge gave him.

Shiro pursed his lips as everyone gave their fish to Keith and he sadly took a bite of his own fish, he forced down the bland taste of burnt fish and tried to smile, "it tastes wonderful," he murmured trying not to heave back up the fish, it took him a while to swallow the fish but he did.

Lance glanced over at Keith and he licked his lips, "uh sorry for being nosey but how did you escape from the Galra prison, I mean--you know what nevermind, sorry for asking, don't want you getting all touchy over the subject" he stuttered.

Keith huffed and he rested his chin on his fist, "I had help, a good Galra on the inside helped me escape, that is all I am going to stay," Keith stated.

"Do you know where he is now? I mean the more allies we have the stronger we'll be," Shiro said leaning forward, Keith shook his head and let his arm drop to his side, he ran his claw along the grass, "I know not," Keith answered.

"So, is there like a whole group of good Galra's out there?" Lance asked, "dude that would be so awesome, it's like a super action movie, a tyrant king killing innocent and group of his men forming an alliance and working on the inside to take down the king," Hunk said grinning, Pidge smirked and rested her arms on her knees, "if you think about it, this whole Voltron machine with defending the universe sounds like a movie too," she said.

Keith frowned and he leaned forward to ask a question that broke the enthusiastic conversation going on, "what exactly is a movie?" Keith asked.

They all turned to him and Lance threw his hands up in the air, "a movie is like--"

"--A movie is what humans watch to pass the time, it's a form of entertainment," Hunk said interrupting Lance.

"You've read a book before right?" Pidge asked, Keith turned to her and nodded, "I have many times, so a book is like a movie?" Keith asked.

"Not exactly, I mean it's like a story book but put together in real life," Pidge said, "I have only read one story book in my life," Keith admitted.

"So, in a movie, they make a story line, add a bunch of actors which are humans who act for money and fame, they had music and other effects and people watch it, they even pay for it," Shiro explained.

"Like a play?" Keith asked Shiro nodded, "sort of like a play but better," he said, he leaned back against the log and grinned, "when we defeat Zarkon, we'll show you a movie," he promised.

Lance's shoulder's scrunched up and he gave Shiro a dirty smile, "we or you mean  _you_ ~?" he teased, Shiro snapped his head over and he could feel his ears heat up, he gave Lance a warning look but Lance just snickered behind his fingers and waggled his eyebrows.

Hunk elbows Lance and smiled apologetically at Shiro, PIdge rolled her eyes and leaned to the side to grab the huge leave that slices fruits were in, "You guys wanna try forming Voltron now?" Pidge asked passing around the leaf bowl, Keith wrinkled his nose and took a sniff from one of the bright yellow ones, he used his claw to poke it and bring it to his mouth.

"I'm down for it," Hunk said, Lance gave him thumbs up and Keith nodded, Shiro sighed and he poured a whole bunch of diced fruit in his hand, "Let's head out then," Shiro said popping the fruit in his mouth and standing up.

Keith went to his lion while the others went to theirs, he put on his helmet just as Shiro's voice came through the comms, "alright now, remember we are a team now and this team needs to stay together to defeat Zarkon and Galra empire, we are the universe's only hope," Shiro said sternly.

The lion started up and Keith's chair jerked forward and he grabbed onto the handles, "are you ready?" Shiro asked.

"Yes," Keith answered and heard a chorus of 'yes' from the other team members, Keith brought his lion towards the sky.

"Get in formation!" Shiro shouted flying upwards towards the clouds, Keith followed suit with Lance a few meters behind him, on the other side was Pidge and Hunk.

"Form Voltron!" Shiro shouted.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on," Keith chanted softly, he took a deep breath and suddenly there was a loud roar at the back of his mind and he felt his lion shift, there were a chorus of cheers from his comms and Keith sighed in relief.

"We did it!" Pidge shouted his face showing up on the screen, one by one the others showed up as well and Keith smiled, "it feels weird but not entirely," Keith murmured.

"I know right! It feels so totally awesome!" Hunk shouted with a grin, Keith held back a laugh and he nodded, "yes it does feel—awesome," he stated and tried to control the excitement that was wanting to burst free.

"Good job team, now let's dispatch and back up the campsite before heading back to the Castle," Shiro said, he turned his attention to Keith and gave him a soft smile, "great job Keith, I knew you had it in you," he said.

Keith was grateful that he was wearing his helmet so nobody saw the flush, but now they formed Voltron, there was another obstacle he had to come over and that obstacle was Shiro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MISTAKES, I KNOW THERE'S SO MANY MISTAKES but my laptop get lagging and I couldn't find time to head out to the library to edit it but at least the chapters posted and I'll probably go back tomorrow or within a few days to edit again, trust me I don't like read chapters that don't make sense or have a lot of grammar mistakes, forgive me :'(  
> SO, if you find any mistakes please please please!! let me know, I'll fix it right up, don't be shy! I won't get mad or annoyed! I'll be so happy!
> 
> ALSO MAJOR QUESTION  
> has anyone taken a solo trip to Japan before or even a trip with friends? I'm planning a trip by myself during the spring for two weeks, I'm visiting Tokyo and Kyoto, I saved up around 2k and was wondering if that was enough, I did some research on line and most people said that to say up around 4 to 8k and I was like, "hell to the no! I don't got enough money for that!" I honestly don't want to postpone my trip :'( I mean if I have to then I will.  
> like does anyone have any advice for me, budget plans, best places to stay at? Hotels? Inns? or hostels?  
> 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! a quick chapter update! I'm so proud of myself! :))

"How is your balance?" Keith asked crossing his arms and staring down at Pidge, she tilted her head and balanced her body on one leg, she wobbled for a second but stayed up right, "can you do the other leg?" he asked.

Pidge switched legs and this time she leaned over but Keith quickly yanked her back by her arm and she righted herself, "it is good but it could use some improvement," he said and glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the team, he felt his annoyance grow when he saw Lance was doing some weird dance and Hunk decided to join in while Shiro shook his head at them.

"Considering their lack of fighting experience, I am surprised they survived this long," Keith stated turning back to Pidge, she quirked an eyebrow and snorted, "by luck, besides they were always saved by Shiro or Allura half the time," she said.

"Shiro needs to stop treating them like kids and make sure they train to survive, yes it seems harsh but how else are we going to win this war," Keith muttered crossing his arms.

"I know where you are coming from but you have to remember that we  _are_ kids, I think Shiro doesn't want to them to lose their innocence, you see where I'm going with this?" Pidge asked.

"We are in a war, they already lost their innocent," Keith said and shook his head, "I'll talk to Shiro later but for now we will work on your training," Keith said and tapped Pidge's ankle with his bo staff, she rolled her eyes and lifted her leg and held out her bo staff in front of her horizontally.

"How is this supposed to help exactly?" she asked straining against her position, Keith clicked his tongue and lifted the bo staff that was slowly lowering, "it helps with balance and good balance and posture helps you fight, it keeps you on your feet," Keith said.

Keith glanced over his shoulder to see Shiro scolding Lance and Hunk, they were both on their knees and rubbing their heads although it looked like they were holding their laughter, his eyes narrowed when Shiro just shook his head and pointed his finger in front of him.

They both scrambled to their feet and started jogging around the training room, "keep balance, I need to have a word with Shiro," Keith stated, he ignored Pidge's call and kept on walking, Shiro saw him strolling his way and met Keith half way.

"Need anything?" Shiro asked crossing his arms, Keith did the same and he jerked his head over towards Lance and Hunk, "they do not take training seriously and neither do you," Keith said.

Shiro raised an eyebrow and his lips twitched, he looked annoyed,  _good._

"What'd you mean?" he asked, "I mean is that every time I'm training Pidge, you three are playing around like a bunch of kits," Keith stated firmly glaring at Shiro.

"Uh  _okay_ but you need to realize that they're technically kids, right?" Shiro said, Keith shook his head, "I understand that but training is vital, you want them to survive, right? Then you need to train them to fight for their lives, Pidge has improved so much, she can easily fight with both hands now," Keith said.

"She can what now?" Shiro asked lowering his hands, he glanced over at Pidge and his eyes narrowed, he brushed past Keith and towards Pidge, she lowered herself back to both legs and blinked at Shiro.

"Keith said you can use both hands now to fight, is that correct?" Shiro asked, Pidge glanced at Keith for a split second and nodded, Shiro's eyes narrowed and he called over Lance and Hunk, they both snapped their heads up and jogged over.

"Who beat Pidge last time we sparred?" Shiro asked, Lance frowned and rubbed his chin, "the last time we sparred was before Keith joined and I was positive it was Hunk who sparred with her," he said and snapped his fingers, "yup it was Hunk, I remember now because he kept on complaining about not wanting to fight with Pidge," Lance said.

"Uh dude, she's tiny and I don't want to hurt her besides she's my friend, how am I going to fight her," Hunk stated glaring at Lance.

Shiro ignored Hunk's statement and grabbed the bo staff that was on the ground and tossed it to Hunk who fumbled to catch it, "you two spar," he said motioning towards Pidge.

Hunk's eyes widened and Pidge hesitantly walked over towards the middle of the training room with Hunk following after her.

"What are you doing?" Keith demanded, Shiro didn't spare a glance at him, "if Pidge defeats Hunk, then I'll let you train all three of them but if Pidge loses then you mind your own business and leave me to train Lance and Hunk," Shiro said.

Keith ignored the bitterness in Shiro's tone and turned his attention to fight, Lance glanced nervously between them and stayed to the side.

Shiro let out a sharp whistle and they started the round.

Pidge and Hunk slowly circled around each other, Keith watched as Hunk swung his bo staff horizontally and Pidge ducked low under it and swung her own bo staff at Hunk's ankles making him yelp and stumble back, Pidge shot back up to her feet and jabbed the end of her staff into Hunk's stomach, he stumbled back again and cried out an incredulous, "Hey!" at her but she ignored him and swung her bo staff at his shoulder, Hunk grunted and rubbed his shoulders. Hunk's distraction gave Pidge to spin around and jab her foot straight into his stomach making him trip over his own feet and onto his back, Pidge instantly climbing over him and pointing the end of her bo staff at his neck.

"Yo! Pidge kicked your ass!" Lance shouted throwing his hands up in the air, Hunk laughed and raised his hands in defeat, Pidge grinned and waved her hand over towards Keith and Shiro.

"I win," Keith said he fought the urge to smile when he heard Shiro let out a resigned sigh beside him.

* * *

"You should've seen the way Pidge fought! Like it was a whole different person!" Lance boasted throwing his arms around Pidge's shoulder and dragging her close, Allura smiled and she patted Pidge's head, "I'm glad that you all are getting along," she said sincerely.

"Thanks, I mean it was all thanks to Keith anyways, he taught me to find my opponent weakest points and I know Hunk's stomach is ticklish," Pidge said, the tips of her ears flushing under their praise.

"Awe man..." Lance drawled, he frowned when Keith walked past him into the kitchen with Hunk at his side who was rambling about a number of foods back at Earth, "that means Keith's gonna train us next time," he muttered.

"I mean Keith does have a point, this is a war we're fighting, if we make a mistake there are no redo's or second chances, we have to learn how to fight and survive," Pidge said.

"Pidge is right, there are no second chances in war," Allura said.

"I know but Keith—Keith's exercise sounds intense and the most I've done jogging, I always skipped out during gym day at the Garrison and Shiro's exercise isn't that intense unless Coran's in charge," Lance said pouting, his pout deepened when he saw Keith came out with a bowl of what looked like alien noodles.

"Hunk made me a snack," Keith stated holding gesturing towards his bowl, Lance's went to grab it but Keith moved it out of his way and glared at Lance.

"Hey! Hunk's my best friend, I bet he made that for me!" Lance cried trying to grab the bowl of noodles but Keith held it behind him and backed up into a wall, "Hunk made this for me, he said  _'Keith as an apology from before, I made this for you,_ ' you can do and ask him!" Keith hissed flattening his ears on his head.

Lance stormed into the kitchen and not before flicking Keith off, Keith ignored the mild human insult and twirled the noodle with his fork and stuffed it into his mouth, his ears perked up and he grinned around the mouthful of noodles.

"I'm gonna see if Hunk still has some more," Pidge said and running into the kitchen, Keith swallowed the noodles and held out his fork to Allura, "thank you, Keith," she said smiling at him and twirling the fork just like Keith had, she laughed when she twirled too hard a noodle went flying and smacked onto Keith's cheek.

"I am sorry," she said picking off the noodles, she slurped it in her mouth and Keith leaned forward, "it is good, right? Hunk said he tried to make 'spaghetti' it is a human food but apparently to him it does not taste like 'spaghetti,' it tastes like  _Ridurip_ with a hint of sea grass," Keith said picking up a noodle with his finger and slurped it in his mouth, he twitched when the end of the noodle slapped the corner of his mouth smearing white sauce on his skin.

There was a gasp behind him and they looked over to see Lance gaping at them, his eyes were wide and his lips moved like a fish trying to get back into the water, "you!" he hissed pointing his finger at Keith.

Pidge walked out and rolled her eyes at Lance, she dragged him towards the dining room and Keith tilted his head in confusion, he licked the corner of his lips and Allura cleared her throat, "I should head back to the control room and see what Coran is up to," she said, Keith frowned when he saw her cheeks flushed before she turned around and left the dining hall.

Keith stiffened when Shiro walked into the dining room, their eyes met and Keith glanced away quickly and made his way towards the table, he sat down across from Lance and ignored the glare his way.

"Noodles huh?" Shiro asked walking over and placing his hands on his hips, he glanced over at Pidge and she lifted two fingers in a greeting, "is there anymore for me?" he asked.

"I think so," Pidge said swallowing the noodles and reaching for the space juice packet, Shiro walked into the kitchen and came out with Hunk and a bowl of noodles, Keith shifted to the side when Shiro deliberately sat down beside him, he narrowed his eyes at the other empty seats and glared down at his noodles, suddenly he wasn't hungry anymore.

Keith was about to stand up and leave when Pidge pipped up, he stared at her and his ears flattened, "can you say that again?" he asked her hesitantly.

"Do you know a Galra with the name of Kilit?" she asked, Shiro glared at her, "Pidge didn't I tell you to drop it!" he hissed at her.

"Kilit?" Keith repeated, he glanced over at Shiro but he wasn't looking at him, he was glaring at Pidge with his fist clenched.

"Whatever for?" he asked softly, he felt his throat clam up and his heart was racing, he clenched his own fist and ignored a headache coming.

"Well, we suspect that Kilit was the person who helped him escape," Pidge stated, Keith frowned and his brows furrowed, "I do not understand," he said and turned to Shiro, "do you not remember the person who helped you escape?" he demanded.

Shiro exhaled sharply and he lifted his head to frown at Keith, "I don't remember anything from when I was a prisoner, yeah some memories come in bits and pieces but I barely remember anything," he said.

Keith felt his heart was ripped out of his chest, he tried to control his breathing and he glanced back down at his noodles.

"You remember nothing? Not even your escape?" he murmured, he saw Shiro shake his head from the corner of his eyes.

"So, do you know a Kilit?" Pidge asked, Lance glanced between them and slurped a noodle in his mouth.

Keith lifted his gaze towards her and shook his head, "No, I do not know a Galra with that name, Shiro was in a different Galra ship and I was in another," Keith stated and stood up, "I am-I am not feeling well," he murmured, he picked up his bowl and walked out of the dining hall.

Keith sped towards his room and slammed up against the door once he was safe in his room, Keith slowly slide down and placed the bowl beside him, "he doesn't remember," Keith stated, he curled his knees to his chest.

Keith let out a bitter laugh and quickly covered his mouth, he felt the tears sting his eyes and he slumped his head against his knees and quietly sobbed into his knees, he wrapped his arms tightly around his knees and stayed light that not knowing how long.

Keith didn't know how he felt, he should feel delighted that Shiro wasn't ignoring him on purpose but now it was like, Keith had feelings for a person who no idea who Keith was, it was like chasing after someone blindly.

There was a knock on his door and Keith made a sound of surprise and lifted his head, "w-who is it?" Keith asked.

"It's me, Shiro," Shiro's voice came hesitantly through the door.

Keith cursed his bad luck, he grabbed the bowl of noodles and stumbled to his feet just as the door hissed open, Shiro awkwardly stood there while rubbing his back.

"I-uh I just wanna apologize for Pidge's rude behavior back at the dinner table," he said, Keith shook his head and glanced away, "it is not her fault, I just remembered my time back as a prisoner," Keith murmured.

"It sucks doesn't it, I still get nightmares and sometimes flashbacks during the day," Shiro stated, Keith nodded and he glanced up at Shiro, "I am sorry for being rude but if you do not remember, how do you suffer from nightmares?" he wondered.

Shiro shrugged, "I mean I remember how the Galra tortured me, I remember a few battles but the memories keep replaying in my head, it's just something I don't like talking about," Shiro said, Keith nodded and he glanced away again.

"I also want to apologize from before, during the training session, I was being a jerk," Shiro said, Keith tilted his head and gave Shiro a confused look, "jerk?" he asked, Shiro nodded "I was being rude," Shiro explained.

"Oh," Keith said.

"The thing is that, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge, they're kids and they're already trapped in this ten-thousand-year-old war and I want them to make sure they're never alone so I usually try to keep them as save as possible, I don't want to make them feel like that they could die any minute," Shiro said looking away,

"That's why you have to train them," Keith suggested, Shiro glanced up at him and frowned, "you are their true leader and I've seen the way they listen to you, you have to tell them that they are fighting for their lives and the rest of the universe so they could leave peacefully again, you have to tell them the truth and they will listen, it does not mean they will lose their innocence, it means that they will take this war seriously, none of us want to be here but we have to—for the sake of the universe," Keith said, he saw Shiro's lips twitch and he leaned against the doorway.

"You know, I noticed that we always end up not getting along," Shiro said, Keith snorted and cocked his hips, "that's because you have always managed to annoy me," Keith stated, Shiro grinned and he licked his lips, "is that so?" he said leaning forward.

Keith narrowed his eyes, he did not like the glint in Shiro's eyes, "yes, that is so," Keith said and he gasped when Shiro picked up a noodle from the bowl and flicked it at him and quickly stepped back before Keith could do anything.

"Leave now!" Keith hissed glaring at Shiro, Shiro winked at him and jogged off, Keith flicked off the noodle angrily, it wasn't until a few ticks later he realized that his heart was racing and not because he was upset, it was because of Shiro.

Keith lowered himself on to his knees and glared down at the bowl of noodles, he was an idiot, an idiot who was still in love Shiro.

* * *

"Ha! I win!" Lance cried slamming down the cards, Pidge huffed and threw her cards on the table, Shiro laughed and tilted his head against his knuckles and watched as Lance and Pidge argued over the game while was Hunk was trying to calm them both down.

"Are you not supposed to be training?" A voice came from the doorway, Shiro glanced up to see Keith standing in front of the doorway frowning at them, their eyes met and Keith snapped his head away just as quickly.

"In a bit," Lance promised shuffling the cards upright, Keith frowned and he took a hesitant step forward, he seemed interested in what they were doing before stepping back again quickly, "I'll be in the training room then when you guys decide to join," he said turning around.

"Hey wait!" Shiro called, Keith froze and glanced at him over his shoulder, Shiro waved him over and Keith turned around and folded his arms behind him nervously, Shiro waved him over again and Keith took a hesitant step forward like before and stopped, Shiro rolled his eyes and patted the empty seat beside him, "come here," he said.

Keith curled his fingers and slowly stepped forward, he awkwardly sat down a good foot away from Shiro and leaned forward to peek at the cards that Lance was shuffling in his hands, "are you—is this a game? A human game?" he asked curiously.

Shiro nodded and closed the space between them, he grabbed the stack of cards that Lance gave him and showed it to Keith, "so each player is given a certain amount of cards, and we are to place either the same color or number down and if we don't have either we grab a card from the deck," Shiro said.

Pidge put down a yellow five from the deck on the table and Keith glanced at the cards that Shiro was holding up to him and frowned when he realized that he didn't have a yellow card, Keith watched as Lance put down a yellow card, so did Hunk but Pidge put down a red four, the same number that Hunk put down.

Keith noticed that Shiro wasn't putting down his card even though he had a red and glanced up at him, Shiro raised an eyebrow and nodded over towards the set of cards in his hands, Keith slowly pointed to the red card and Shiro smiled, Keith picked the card from the set and placed it down on the pile of cards.

Lance huffed and picked up a card from the deck, his frown deepened when Hunk put down a black card with four colors, "what does that mean?" Keith asked.

"This means, I can choose the next color placed," Hunk said and put down a blue card, this blue had a circle with a slash going through it, Keith frowned and blinked when Pidge flicked off Hunk, "what does that mean?" Keith asked.

"This symbol means that it skips over a person's turn and that means my turn, so now it's yours," Pidge muttered glaring at Hunk. Keith looked back at their set and picked up a blue four and put that down.

"Ha!" Lance shouted slamming down a blue card, he stuck his tongue out at Keith, Hunk smirked and put down another black card and this card had a plus four in white with four different colors, "and that?" Keith asked.

"We all have to draw four cards," Shiro said grabbing four cards and placing it back in his set, Keith frowned and looked at the new additional cards, he glanced down at the deck and saw Pidge placed down a card and now it was their turn.

Shiro put down a blue colored card and Lance put down another blue, Hunk changed the color to red and Pidge growled and grabbed a card from the deck, that means it was their turn, Keith went to grab a card when Shiro clicked his tongue, he picked up a different red and placed it down, it was the cancellation card, Lance wrinkled his nose and Hunk wiggled his fingers before putting down a red two with a plus.

"Dude can you chill," Pidge hissed grabbing two cards from the deck, "the plus means we grab two?" Keith asked, Shiro nodded and held up the two cards between his fingers at Keith.

Hunk grinned and hid his smile behind two card set, Keith watched eagerly as Pidge put down a red and now it meant it was their turn, Shiro picked up a black card and put it down and put down a green one, Lance put down another green card and Hunk quickly slapped down a black card with the multi colors and screamed, "Uno!"

"Uno?" Keith asked, "it means when one so that means Hunk has one card left and that means he won," Lance muttered throwing his cards onto the table just as Hunk dainty tossed his green four.

"Oh," Keith murmured leaning back, he wanted to win, he watched as Pidge shuffled the cards and frowned when everyone stood up, "Are we not playing again?" he asked.

"You wanted to train, remember?" Shiro said grinning at him, Keith twitched and he stood up with narrowed his eyes, "yes I forgot," he murmured, Keith would not let Shiro get the best of him.

"Lead the way then," Shiro said waving his hand in front of him, Keith turned around swiftly and walked out of the lounge room, he led the group towards the training room and looked behind him to make sure they were following.

"So, as you guys remember from the other day, Keith is in charge of training but first I need to get something off my chest," Shiro said nervously running his fingers through the white tuft of his head, everyone formed a semicircle around him.

"We need to take training more seriously, that means no goofing around and no trying to get out of training, I understand that you guys don't want to train every single day but you need to remember that we're in the middle of a ten-thousand-year old war, any mistake could be harmful and the first mistake we're making is that we're not training hard enough, we could die any minute on a mission and we have to be prepared and that means putting more effort into training, so in doing so I'm putting Keith in charge of training," Shiro said glancing at Keith.

Keith stiffened under the attention, he slowly walked forward and Shiro walked over into Keith's former spot, he saw the supportive smile that Pidge gave him and he straightened up.

"We need to work on balance and Pidge informed me a while back that humans are not equipped with learning how to control both hands," Keith said.

"So, for the first half of training, we are to learn balance and the second half is to strengthen your opposite hand," Keith added, he took a deep breath and felt his worries ease when they smiled at him, he saw the stumble thumbs up that Shiro gave him and it sent his heart into humming in his chest.

Keith had to get rid of his feelings for Shiro because if he didn't it's going ruin him in the future.

* * *

Keith woke up to the alarm blaring, he sat up quickly and stumbled out of bed, he quickly slipped on his body suit and put on his boots while tripping over towards his sword, he stumbled out of his room just as Lance did.

"Is this an emergency?" Keith shouted running behind Lance towards the control room, he met up with Pidge and Hunk, they skidded into the control room, "what's wrong?" Lance asked worriedly walking over to Allura who was nervously staring up at the screen.

"There's a planet who needs Voltron, they are being colonized by the Galra, we received a distress signal a few dobashes ago," Allura said and turned around to face them, "get to your lions everyone, Shiro is already there and waiting for the rest of you—good luck everyone," she said.

They all nodded and went to their shuttles, Keith felt giddy, it was his first time in battle and he was going as the red paladin, he felt like he was useful for the first time and it felt amazing.

Keith slipped on his uniform and grabbed his Bayard before grabbing the handle and swinging down towards his speeder.

The red lion was already waiting for him with his mouth open, Keith climbed off his speeder and jogged inside the mouth and into the cock pit. Keith buckled up as the chair slide forward and the control panel lighting up.

Keith grabbed the handle bars and sped off out of the hangar and met with the rest of them outside, he felt a stab of annoyance when Lance's face came onto the screen, "didn't get lost did ya?" he mocked, Keith glared at him and pressed the button and closed his screen off.

"Alright guys, this is our first time battling the Galra with a new red paladin, Keith remember that we're a team now so if you need help or back up remember to call for us, don't do it alone. Alright everyone, let's go," Shiro's said his voice coming through the comms.

"Yes, Sir," Keith stated and sped off behind Shiro's lion and the rest of them beside him, the planet looked dead even though the charts on his screen said the planet should be alive, he followed Shiro down towards the trees and they hovered above the trees and stared at the multiple Galra ships, the city was infested with Galra sentries.

"We need a plan," Shiro said his face popping on the screen, "what if we blow up the ships?" Keith suggested, Shiro shook his head, "they could have local prisoners on the ship and we can't risk anyone dying, we need to check first if they have any prisoners on that ship, Pidge you know what to do," Shiro said.

"On, it!" Pidge shouted and started forward, a tick later her lion disappeared and Keith saw on his screen that she was flying over towards ships, another tick later a map showed up of the ship.

"It looks like there's only Galra on the ship," Allura said her face also coming up on the screen, "so, now can we blow them up?" Hunk asked eagerly, Allura smiled and Hunk whooped but before he could fly on Shiro told him to wait, "Lance, Keith, and Hunk will take care of the ships while Pidge and I go down and fight off the sentries, once you guys are done, have Lance come down and meet us down here while Hunk and Keith watch over the skies, if this goes smoothly we won't need Voltron," Shiro said.

They all nodded and took off, Keith started shooting his lasers at the ships and ducked under the blast coming back at him, in no time half the ships were taking off and the rest they destroyed, Lance landed his lion next to Pidge and got out to help them while Hunk and Keith roamed the skies for any other ships.

"Looks like this will be an easy mission!" Lance's voice came through the comms, "please! There hasn't been one easy mission!" Hunk shouted.

"The sentries are leaving!" Pidge shouted excitedly, "don't get too excited guys!" Shiro scolded there was a grunt of pain and Keith jolted forward, "are you two alright?" he asked worriedly.

"Fine, just a scratch," Shiro muttered. Keith bit his lips nervously and suddenly there was beam and just passed over his head and hit one of the hills behind the city, a huge Galra ship broke through the clouds, much bigger than other one, thousands of fighter pilots surrounded the ship and started forward.

"We're gonna need back up quick!" Hunk shouted ramming his lion into the fighter pilots while Keith shot at them with his laser, one hit his back and he grunted jerking forward, he looked at the screen and noticed a fighter pilot behind him.

Keith swung his tail and it hit the fighter pilot making it explode, Keith flew the lion upward and shot at the other fighter pilots.

Within a few ticks the rest of the lions were in the sky and shooting at them, they were too distracted by the smaller ships when the large Galra ship shot down another powerful beam at the city, this time destroying many stone buildings.

"Everyone we need to turn our attention to the Galra ship!" Shiro shouted, "there's more coming," Keith grunted and dodged a fighter pilot letting it fly into another one making both of them explode.

Sure enough, the clouds dispersed and exposed the many Galra ships slowly coming down at them.

"Everyone, we're going to need to form Voltron!" Shiro shouted, "in formation!" he added, Keith flew over towards Shiro's side with Lance right under him.

"Form Voltron!"

Keith felt the shift in his lion and within a few ticks, he was a part of a huge robotic machine.

"Hunk, Lance we need blasters, Pidge make sure the shield is ready, Keith use your sword to cut through the ship!" Shiro shouted.

"My what?" Keith asked quickly, "use your Bayard and make a sword," Shiro cried and maneuvered Voltron under a beam, it hit another part of the city making Shiro curse.

Keith lifted his Bayard and pushed it inside the beeping compartment that rose from inside the panel, suddenly a sword materialized in the mouth of the Red Lion. Shiro pushed Voltron towards one of the ships and Keith swung the sword up and it stabbed right through the ship, Shiro pushed Voltron forward making the sword slice through the ship, he slipped under just as it exploded above them.

"Pidge shield!" Shiro shouted, instantly there was a shield in front of them and they grunted when the laser hit them and pushed them back, the beam stopped and Shiro pushed forward and Keith swung his sword straight through the cannon making it explode, the explosion hit a few other fighter pilots around the explosion.

"Right, we have one more to go," Keith said, Shiro turned Voltron around and flew forward and Keith strike the sword upwards making the laser instantly stop, Keith pushed upward and it split the Galra ship in half.

"That's it, good work everybody!" Shiro shouted, "and Keith, I'm glad you're on the team, don't tell this to Allura but it's nice having Voltron stay in one piece," he said and yelped when Allura's face came onto the screen, "I can hear you Shiro" she stated glaring at them, she shook her head and crossed her arms, "I suggest you five check on the locals, I'll have Coran land the ship, contact me if anyone needs serious medical attention," she said and shut off her screen.

"Everyone back to your lions," Shiro ordered, there was a shift again and suddenly Keith was thrown to the side and he was back into his full lion form, Keith flew down following after Shiro and landed not too far behind him, Keith unbuckled and climbed out of the cockpit.

"That wasn't that bad," Hunk said, popping off his helmet and rolling his shoulders, "I know, it so much easier now since we have a stable red lion," Lance said coming up from behind Hunk and taking off his helmet, he grinned towards the crowd forming around them and Keith suddenly felt insecure and decided not to take off his helmet.

"Thank you for saving us!"

An old creature came forward, he walked up right on legs, his skin color was a nice shade of jade and his eyes were large with two horns curling out from the top of his bald head.

"It's no problem, we're just glad that everyone's safe," Shiro said taking off his helmet, the creature smiled at him and he turned to the rest, "luckily I had everyone evacuate underground when the attack started a few quintets ago, we're just lucky that you found our distress signal," he said.

"We're just glad to help, Princess Allura is coming down to speak with your people, if you can get the rest out, the paladin's and I will have a quick check to make sure it's all clear," Shiro said.

"Hunk and Lance, you two check the south and east quarters, Keith and I will take the west and north, Pidge you help the Etot with the locals," Shiro said.

They all nodded and Lance gave a mock salute before skipping off, he gave a wink towards the small crowd and a few local started giggling and cupping their blushed cheeks.

Pidge glared at Lance and followed the crowd and the leaders towards the middle circle, Shiro turned to Keith and tapped at his helmet, "what's with this?" he asked.

"Did you forget that I'm Galra," Keith stated.

Shiro frowned and Keith crossed his arms tightly, he glanced over behind Shiro at the small crowd forming in the center of the city, "you may trust me but their homeland just got destroyed by the Galra and if they find out that one of the paladins is Galra, they will not be pleased," Keith said.

"Oh,"

Keith frowned and he ducked his head, Shiro quickly back tracked and held up both of his hands, "I mean, Allura will explain to them and I'm sure they won't say anything; besides I'll have your back and so will the rest of the team," Shiro reassured.

Keith shrugged and Shiro clicked his tongue and tapped at the helmet again, "come on, for right now it's just me," he said.

Keith lifted the helmet off slowly and didn't meet Shiro's eyes, he heard a choked laugh and he snapped his head up and glared at Shiro, "what!" he demanded.

Shiro shook his head and pointed to his own head, "your hair—it's all over the place," he said, Keith frowned and combed his fingers through his poofy hair brushed past Shiro. They check through the stone houses and buildings, most of them were empty, others were destroyed during the battle.

"It sometimes seems so surreal," Shiro murmured looking at another house, rocks of stone were in a pile where a house should be standing, "fighting a war in space before I used to be this person who only dreamed of going to outer space," he murmured.

Keith tilted his head and he knelt down and picked up the rag-doll, "the Galra are cruel people," he murmured letting his gloved thumb run over the cloth doll's face, he stood and made a surprise sound when Shiro bumped into him, "I can't say for certain that all Galra are cruel, I mean there's you," Shiro said.

Keith glanced over at him and to his surprise, there was a faint blush on his cheeks, Shiro cleared his throat and jerked his thumb to the side, "w-we should check the other places," he said. Keith clenched the doll in his hand and followed Shiro, he could feel his own cheeks flushing up as well, the placed looked deserted but Shiro had him checking every part of the section before moving on.

Finally, they met everyone in the center of the city, Allura was already out and standing in front of the local doing a speech, Shiro and Keith hung back with the rest of the Paladins.

"We all thank you, especially I, leader of my people, you may call me Etot. There must be something in return you surely want?" Etot asked.

"A parade would be nice," Lance muttered softly and grunted when Pidge elbowed him in the stomach, "shut up!" she hissed.

"We want nothing in return, we just hope that we bring the universe back to its former peaceful self, before the Galra empire started," Allura said.

"How about a feast? I'm sure the paladins would love a good hearty feast after a long battle," Etot said turning around to smile at the paladin, his smile froze when his eyes landed on the red paladin.

The rest of the local turned around to see what their leader was looking at, whispers started and Keith held his ground and stared ahead, he would not let this affect him.

"Keith is indeed a Galra but he's not like the evil ones, he's good and proved himself many times," Allura stated narrowed her eyes at the leader, he nodded but glanced at the guards and they turned around to make sure the red paladin didn't do anything tricky.

"Everyone, head down underground, I'll have the cooks start up the feast!" Etot shouted, the locals murmured in agreement and walked past the Paladin's but not before glaring at the red one.

"It's okay just don't pay attention to them," Shiro said, "I'm fine," Keith murmured, the locals were underground and that's when the paladins followed with Allura closely behind. It was a huge underground opening with smaller tunnels spreading, it was like another whole home system down here.

"We've been here for many quintents, waiting to be saved—our people, we're not fighters," Etot said clasping his hand in front him, he turned his starry eyes at the Princess, "we are grateful for your help," he said again and waved his hand over towards a huge long table, "please sit, the food will come out soon," he said.

The table was long and wooden, with multiple seats on one side and a huge chair sat straight in the middle, Etot shuffled past Keith and the Paladin's and sat down on his throne with Allura sitting down beside him.

Everyone else sat down, it was an awkward silence at first before Lance asked what kind of food there would be bringing, Etot started rambling about all sorts of local food.

Keith felt an itching behind his back and he glanced over his shoulder to see one of the guards snap his head away and hold tighter on his staff, Keith looked back to his empty plate and he felt a hand on his shoulder, Keith looked over to see Shiro giving him a comforting smile.

"Don't worry, they won't say anything," he said, Keith shrugged off Shiro's hand and curled his lips at him, "I know that!" he hissed softly and snapped his head away from Shiro's frown.

"So, how is it that a Galra ended up being one of the Paladin's of Voltron?" Etot asked.

Keith tensed and Shiro turned to Etot, "long story but Keith helped save the red lion from the Galra and in the end, the lion chose Keith as her new paladin," Shiro said.

"Strange, a Galra as a paladin," Etot muttered.

"Does it bother you?" Keith demanded glaring at the leader, Etot shrunk in his seat and quickly shook his head.

"No-no, I was just merely stating that it is strange for a Galra to be nice," he said quickly.

Keith snorted and he crossed his arms and leaned back into his seat, "the Galra were always nice, it is Zarkon's greed for power that blinds many of the Galra," he said, he was glad that nobody questioned him after that.

The food started coming out and nobody could deny the wonderful smell of their food, days of eating Coran's food goo, this felt like he was granted into an ultimate paradise.

"Oh man," Hunk whined, his mouth salivating as he stared down at the food, he quickly grabbed a plate and started piling the food on his plate and went to grab another dish, the rest quickly followed and Keith could see actual tears shining their eyes as they ate the food.

Keith jabbed his fork in one of the meat pieces and popped it in his mouth, his ears flattened and his toes curled, the meat just melted in his mouth and the flavors erupted in his mouth.

"Good, right?" Shiro asked covering his mouth and continued on chewing, Keith nodded and grabbed another cube of meat, he stuffed that in his mouth and grabbed another fork with his other hand and stabbed another cube of meat.

"Here try this," Shiro said holding out a fork with a green stalk stabbed through it, "it tastes good, almost like beef with an after taste of duck," Shiro said.

Keith looked down at his two hands, each hand had a fork with a cube of meat, he stared up at Shiro confused. Shiro shrugged bringing the fork closer to his mouth, "come on, open up," he said with a grin.

Keith narrowed his eyes at the meat and he glanced up at Shiro who was patiently smiling at him, "what is a duck?" he demanded.

"Try it first then I'll explain," Shiro said wiggling the fork in front of him.

"Hey! No fair! Shiro feed me too!" Lance whined tugging at Shiro's shoulder, distracting him for a split second and Keith took the opportunity to lean forward and closed his mouth around the fork and pulled back with the green object in his mouth.

He watched as Shiro stabbed another green meat and held it for Lance but Lance pouted and looked away, "I don't want Keith's germs," he muttered, Shiro shrugged and popped the piece in his mouth.

"It is rather good, a weird after taste though," Keith murmured.

"Yeah, that's the duck or alien version of duck but it's good," Shiro said and stabbed his fork through the meat cube on Keith's fork. Keith frowned at him and Shiro grinned stuffing the meat in his mouth.

"That was mine," he stated feeling his ears twitch in annoyance but Shiro just shrugged and took a sip of his drink.

There was a murmur towards his right and Keith swiveled his ears and glanced over, in the corner in front of a small tunnel where a group of locals glaring at him and were whispering amongst each other.

_"Just look at him, how can Princess Allura allow such a disgusting creature on her team,"_

_"I have no words, he is ugly like the rest of his race. I hope Voltron wipes out the Galra race, good or bad, I want them gone,"_

_"He looks so beastly, especially with those ears and fangs,"_

"-ieth, Keith, you okay?'

Keith turned his attention to Shiro, even Lance was looking at him with worry clear on his face, "you okay man, you kind of dazed off," Lance said.

"I am fine, just a bit light headed from the battle," Keith lied placing down his forks, Shiro frowned, "you should eat if you're feeling light headed," he said.

"I think I need some air, it is rather stuffy and dark here, I do not feel comfortable," Keith said quickly standing up, he ignored the way the guards stiffened and readied their weapon, Keith walked around the end of the table and towards the entrance towards the top.

Keith sighed in relief when he felt the cool air of the planet, it did relax him a bit, although when he stepped on to the ground, two guards had come out with him and stood at the entrance keeping a close eye on him.

Keith ignored them and told himself that it was mandatory, years of being enslaved by the Galra put everyone on edge and he shouldn't blame them...although it was rather annoying and hurtful.

A good walk around the city would help him ease his mind, Keith started off towards one of the alleyways and stretched his arm high above him to ease his tense muscles. It was peaceful—almost until he heard a voice calling to him from behind, Keith turned around and tried not to sigh in exasperation when he saw Shiro jogging towards him.

"Is there something you need?" Keith asked when Shiro caught up, the black paladin shook his head and ran his fingers through his white tuft, "you were right, it is kind of stuffy down there, thought I'd keep you company," he said with an easy grin and started forward.

"Come on, I want to check this place out," Shiro said, Keith pursed his lips and followed closely behind Shiro, he watched as Shiro's face stay in awe as he stared at the whole city.

Keith looked around too but he wasn't that excited as Shiro was, he cleared his throat and Shiro looked down at him expectantly.

"I wanted to ask a few questions...if that was alright with you?" Keith asked. Shiro shrugged folded his arms behind his head, "I'm all ears," he said.

"If you had a choice, would you want to remember your time as a prisoner?" he asked, Shiro's smile stilled and he lowered his arms and crossed them over his chest, "I'm not sure—I would say no to be honest," Shiro said.

"Can I ask why?" Keith asked, he waited for Shiro to get angry or annoyed but he didn't, he just smiled sadly and shrugged.

"Because then my nightmares would heighten and I can barely stand a few memories that haunt me every night, now imagine how bad I would be if I remembered everything, I don't think I would be totally stable," Shiro confessed.

"Oh, I am sorry for what the Galra have done to you and to other innocent people, it was cruel and sickening," Keith said firmly.

"S'not your fault, I mean it wasn't you who took my arm or tortured me for months," Shiro said lowering his arms to his side, Keith lowered his ears and shrugged, "it was my race though, my people did this to you and—"

"—and nothing, it wasn't you, stop trying to bring yourself down, besides if it weren't for the Galra I wouldn't be here, on his amazing planet, saving the universe with a huge robotic lion," Shiro said.

"It would have been better without the whole Galra torture," Keith said, his lips twitched when Shiro smiled, "obviously," Shiro said and sighed, "so, any more questions?" he asked stepping over a large rock, while Keith stepped around it.

"...I have one other questions," Keith said.

"Lay it on me," Shiro said kicking a small pebble, he continued kicking it while they were walking down the alleyway.

"The Galra named Kilit—do you wish you remembered him?" Keith asked, Shiro frowned and kicked the pebble out of his way, "I'm not sure, I mean I would like to know why I remembered his name and why I keep saying his name in my sleep," Shiro said.

"You-you say the name in your sleep?" Keith asked quickly snapping his head towards Shiro feeling his heart rate pick up.

"Sometimes," Shiro murmured feeling his cheeks heat up, "I mean it's nothing big, he's probably the person who helped me escape that's all," he said and quickly changed the topic, "Can I ask you a few questions?" he asked.

"I suppose you can," Keith said.

"First of all, how is it that your name is Keith which is a human name and you're Galra," Shiro asked.

"I have no idea, I was raised by an old woman who told me she found me on an isolated planet with a locket around my neck, it had my name and when she took me in, a decapheeb later the Galra soldiers came in and took me away, I was sent off to live in a Galra cruiser until I escaped," Keith explained.

"You were an orphan?" Shiro asked raising both of his eyebrows, Keith nodded, "I suppose I still am, I do not have a family to go home to after the war," Keith said.

"You can always come to planet earth," Shiro suggested then frowned, "although I'm sure people will wonder why is there a purple cat alien living in their town," he murmured to himself.

Keith smiled and stepped a bit closer to Shiro, "I would like to visit though, it would be nice," he said, Shiro glanced down at him and grinned, "I'm sure we could make it work," Shiro said and he playful bumped into Keith, "you're smiling," he stated and his eyes twinkled when he said, "you look nice."

Keith snapped his head away and felt his cheeks heat up, Shiro cleared his throat and hopped over a small rock and turned around to walk backwards, "so, should we head back?" he asked and almost tripped over a pole, Keith shook his head and pointed out that he shouldn't walk backwards.

"Good idea," Shiro said facing forward, Keith folded his arms behind him, "is it alright if we keep on walking? It calms me," he said, his heart was sent into another flutter when Shiro smiled down at him, he turned his attention towards the pathway and tried to calm his heart it didn't help when he felt Shiro bump into him again.

Keith glared at Shiro and bumped into him, Shiro licked his lips and bumped back into him, "you stop that," he demanded to Shiro pointing a finger at him, his heart couldn't handle it.

Shiro held up his hands to show defeat and there was a grin etching across his face, "it is not funny," Keith stated feeling his own lips twitch, he cleared his throat looked away again.

Keith yelped when Shiro bumped him again, Keith snapped his head to glare at Shiro but he was already running back the direction they came from, "I said to stop it!" Keith shouted running after Shiro.

Their moment was short-lived when they heard their names being called from a distance, they stopped and Keith swiveled his ears and glanced behind Shiro to see Lance and Hunk waving their arms at them trying to get their attention.

"Guess we should head back," Shiro said and lifted his arm to wave at them, they waved their hands as if telling them to hurry up.

"What were you two doing?" Lance demanded looking back and forth at them suspiciously.

"Walking, do we need permission to walk?" Keith asked haughtily cocking his hips, Lance snorted and he squinted his eyes suspiciously at Shiro who was standing behind Keith.

"No, but a little warning where you guys where would be nice," Lance said, Hunk jerked his thumb over his shoulder, "we should head back, Allura wants us to say our goodbyes to Etot before we depart," Hunk said.

Lance wrinkled his nose at Hunk and crossed his arms, "you sound like Shiro when you say 'depart' it's such an old person term," he said and ignored Shiro's offended grunt.

"Anyways, let's go," Shiro said brushing past the three, Lance pursed his lips and shrugged when Hunk and Keith gave him a look, "was it something I said?" he asked curiously.

Hunk patted Lance's arm sympathetically and lead him away, Keith shook his head and followed after them. They met up with the rest of the group and saw Allura give Etot a small device, "if you are any need of trouble, you can call us from this device and Voltron will be on their way," she said placing a hand on Etot's shoulders.

"I cannot express how grateful we are, truly," Etot said.

"Once Voltron takes down Zarkon, we will bring back the Universe to is normal peaceful self like it was once before many years ago," Allura promised.

"We could only hope and dream but now it seems that our dreams are coming true," Etot said and lowered his head, "thank you again and you are welcome anytime here and consider us an ally, it is the least we can do," he said.

Allura nodded and turned to the Paladin, Shiro stepped forward and held out his hand to Etot to shake, "we will try our hardest and we also ask a favor—do not judge our red Paladin, he has earned his place just like the rest of us had," he said firmly.

Etot lifted his head and his short flappy ears lowered embarrassingly, "I do apologize for my rude behavior towards him," he murmured and glanced guiltily at Keith who was too busy staring at Keith, he jerked out his daze when Lance threw an arm around Keith's shoulder, "only we can bother our red paladin," he said winking and holding up two fingers.

Keith glared at him Lance and wrinkled his nose at the arm around his shoulder, "please refrain yourself from touching me," he stated and grunted when Hunk threw his own arm around Keith's shoulder and grinned, "awe come on group hug!" he cried squeezing Keith into his side.

Keith grunted and wiggled free and glared at the yellow and blue paladin with clear distaste, even though there was a warm feeling in his chest.

Shiro's lips twitched and he glanced back at Etot who stepped back into the crowd, Allura waved at the crowd and they cheered for her.

Lance threw up his arms as well and they cheered louder, he laughed and started waving his arms frantically, Hunk rolled his eyes and dragged him away from the crowd and towards their lions.

Keith tried not to laugh at Lance's put off-face as he let himself get dragged by Hunk, he jerked forward when there was a thump against his back, he glared over his shoulder at Shiro, "ready to head back?" he asked.

"I suppose," Keith said, he grunted when Pidge shoved past them and grinned at them over her shoulder, "hurry up!" she shouted. Keith rolled his eyes and walked over to his lion, he smiled when she purred in his mouth and lowered her head opening her mouth to let Keith in.

Keith started up his Lion and flew towards the castle, he kept on thinking what would have happened if Lance and Hunk hadn't interrupted them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually really loved writing this chapter, :) I think it's my favorite so far \^.^/  
> Also like before, if there's any mistakes please tell me so I can fix them :D


	11. SORRY IT'S NOT A CHAPTER BUT PLEASE READ

HEY! :))

I'm so sorry for not updating but a few days ago I had to drive down to visit my parents who live in the Houston area, cause my mom tripped down the stairs and the disc in her back and ended up in the hospital, so I took a drive down with my kitty.

I felt bad for leaving my parents alone, so I decided to stay during the hurricane and hopefully, nothing goes wrong although Houston does tend to flood a lot quicker than where I live and this is a hurricane we're talking about so I might be stranded in Houston for a while :\

 

Also for my Houston/corpus/Galveston/ SA/ Austin and the rest of the places where the Hurricane's gonna hit, stay safe my peeps, make sure you stock up on water and can foods, snacks, and DON'T FORGET YOUR ANIMALS AS WELL! I legit went out a bought a shit load of cat litter, food, and kibble for her!!

The hurricane just hit land only an hour ago, so please be safe! and if it's mandatory to evacuate, PLEASE EVACUATE AND DO NOT FORGET YOUR ANIMALS! remember how many animals were abandoned during Katrina and Ike.

It's thundering really bad and I have my laptop and phone fully charged ;) so I'll probably continue on writing and praying the lights don't go out :))

 

 STAY SAFE AND DO NOT FORGET YOUR PETS!

 

Also here's how I portray Keith as Galra Keith, when I saw this picture, I freaked! it was so good! 

I've been trying to find the artist but I can't seem to find them so if anyone knows, can you tell me so I can credit them :)

 

update: a lovely commenter told me the artist name, so thank so much, also I just realized that on the art-piece is the artist's watermark :\ I'm such an idiot. 

http://ruebird.tumblr.com

 

 

 

 

 

 


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayy! I got a chapter updated.  
> Yes, it still raining and it's going to continue on raining for about a week, my neighbor hood is kind of flooded but not as bad as downtown Houston, the highways are flooded and most people are stuck in their homes, they actually called for an evacuation for the people down there. They said that this is the worst flood that Houston has ever experienced :\  
> Also a quick reminder, pleasepleaseplease, DO NOT ABANDON YOUR ANIMALS, DO NOT CHAIN THEM TO YOUR HOUSE OR INSIDE YOUR HOUSE, TAKE THEM WITH YOU, THE OFFICIALS WON'T MIND IF YOU TAKE YOUR DOG/CAT/HAMSTER/BUNNY OR WHATEVER WITH YOU.  
> Don't repeat Hurrican Katrina and Hurrican Ike. :(
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Luckily for me, the lights only went out for a few hours *quickly knocks on wood* I'm praying it stays this way and I definitely need to stock up on more food, thankfully Walmarts opened :)

Many quintents had passed and Keith learned a lot of new stuff about Planet Earth, they apparently don't know anything about other alien planets or creatures besides their own, they are kind of slow on technology and not all humans look the same, unlike most alien populated planets.

"And this is Pizza," Lance said pointing to a large circular food item, many looks different, "there are different types, like all cheese pizza, pineapple pizza, meat pizza, and veggie. Pizza is where Pidge was born from," Lance said solemnly and cried out when Pidge smacked him.

"You were born in that?" Keith asked curiously pointing to the screen, Pidge glared at Lance as he snickered behind his hand, "he's kidding" she said shaking her head.

"What kind of animals does Earth have?" Keith asked scooted a bit closer to Lance and peeked at the small screen.

"There's tons of animals and scientist barely put a dent exploring the ocean, did you know they only explored about three to five percent of the ocean! That's crazy!" Lance shouted and Keith flicked back his ears from Lance's loud volume.

"My favorite animal is a Great White Shark, I mean I love all kinds of sharks but that one is my favorite," Lance said quickly typing at the screen and projected a video of a large gray shark swimming through the deep water.

"Oh, it looks kind of slow," Keith murmured frowning at the shark, Lance snorted and quickly explained how fast the creatures can go and how high they can jump and how the humans created a whole week dedicated to the creature.

"They're so amazing," Lance said and quickly shut the screen when Shiro walked in, he frowned when he saw all three of them lounging.

"Aren't we supposed to be training?" he asked crossing his arms, Pidge and Lance looked guilty and Keith piped in, "I-I wanted to know more about Earth," he explained.

"We all can teach you about Earth once we're done with training," Shiro said and snapped his fingers, "come on, get up," he said.

Lance and Pidge climbed to their feet and shuffled out of the room, Keith stood up as well and Shiro turned to him, "I understand you want to know more about Earth but like you said before, we need to take training seriously," Shiro said.

"Once we're done then we all can relax," Shiro added.

Keith nodded and it didn't help that he felt like a little kit when Shiro scolded him, he walked past Shiro and towards the training room with Shiro following closely behind him.

Surprisingly, the team picked up Keith's training very quickly and Shiro had taken over training again. The team still had trouble using both hands except for Lance, though his aim wasn't that strong with his right arm.

Training was a breeze but now they started with the gladiators which put everyone on edge, they hated fighting the robot.

Keith winced as Pidge skid across the floor when the robot kicked her stomach, Lance came in and ducked low under the swing and butted the gun at the robot's lower body part.

"He's not real! He can't feel that!" Shiro shouted just as Lance was flung to the side, Shiro shook his head and nodded his head over towards Hunk.

"Pretend he's a real Galra soldier, but don't pull that move that Lance did!" Shiro shouted, Hunk nodded and jogged forward with his blaster but the gladiator was faster and dodged every single hit and charged for Hunk, they breathed a sigh of relief when Hunk used his gun to block bo staff coming his way, but he didn't see the kick coming for his gut.

They both winced when Hunk fell back with a groan, Shiro gritted his teeth and charged forward towards the gladiators back while Keith took the front,

Keith activated his sword and met every single attack and ducked low just as Shiro kicked the robot's side making it stumble over.

Keith's eyes narrowed and quickly grabbed onto Shiro's arm and jerked him to the side just as the gladiator flung his bo staff where Shiro was before.

"Distract him!" Keith hissed ducking behind Shiro and heading over towards the bo staff that was impaled into the wall.

A sword materialized in the gladiator's hand, Pidge was up and helping Shiro take down the Gladiator, Keith tried to jerk the bo staff out of the wall but it got in pretty deep, finally, it wiggled free and Keith stumbled back and snapped his head back to glare at the gladiator.

Pidge had her grappling hook wrapped around the gladiator's arms but he grabbed onto the neon robe and jerked Pidge forward.

Shiro used his weight and slammed into the gladiator, it released its grip on Pidge and she fell down with the grappling hook falling down beside her with the rope falling free its arm.

Keith ran towards them and had the bo staff ready, he planted it on the floor and heaved himself up into the air, he didn't see Lance fumbling for his gun behind him and shot with his left hand at the gladiator, his aim was off and it shot at the bo staff breaking it.

Keith gasped and realized that he flew over the gladiator who had turned around and was charging for Lance.

Shiro looked up and saw Keith falling down he got his arms ready but Hunk did the same and charged forward but he couldn't skid to a halt on time and barreled into Shiro, they both cried out fell to the side just as Keith landed where they were before on his feet, he stumbled down to one knee and heaved in a surprise breath, the gladiator had Lance pinned against the wall with one hand and Pidge on the other hand.

It all happened with a few ticks and Allura came in to see Hunk and Shiro in a pile groaning, with Keith sitting down and nursing his bruised knee while the Gladiator had Pidge and Lance pinned to the wall.

"End training sequence!" Allura shouted, the gladiator dropped to the side and both Pidge and Lance fell to their knees and rubbed their stomachs, Allura turned to Hunk and Shiro who were already separating and rubbing their sides.

"Looks like you five still need some improvement," she stated and tried not to laugh at the glares that were sent her way.

Shiro stumbled to feet and helped up Hunk who smiled at him apologetically, "my bad," he said laughing, Shiro shook his head rubbed his bruised shoulder, "it's alright Hunk, don't sweat it," he said and looked over at Keith who was sitting on the floor and had his pant leg rolled up and frowning at a really ugly bruise on his knee.

Shiro walked over and knelt down, Keith glanced up at him and flinched when Shiro's finger grazed his bruise. "Hurts," he managed to say, Shiro glanced up at him and leaned back onto his hands, "sorry for not catching you in time," he said.

"It is alright, it happens," Keith said.

"Ew, that's gross," Lance said coming over and glancing at Keith's knees, he wrinkled his nose and yelped when Hunk jabbed him on his side.

"We should get that cleaned up," Hunk said and glanced over at Allura, "did you need something?" he asked.

Allura nodded and cupped the back of Pidge's head, she felt around for any bumps, "Coran finally got all of Sendak's memories into the system, we just need Pidge to look through them for anything that can help us find out Zarkon's weakness," she said pulling her hand away when she felt nothing.

"S-Sendak?" Keith asked looking up at Allura, she nodded and scratched her cheek sheepishly, "he almost managed to take over the Castle, but we managed to defeat him and extract some memories from him," she said.

"Freshen up and meet me at the control room," Allura added and left, Hunk helped Keith up and walked him to the med bay.

"You have a nasty bruise right here," Shiro said grabbing onto Pidge's chin and tilting her head to the side to glare at a bruise on her jaw, "I told you to be careful" he scolded.

Pidge shrugged and jerked her chin away from Shiro's hand, "I'm fine," she murmured and brushed past him to follow Hunk and Keith into the med bay.

"I'm hurt too, carry me," Lance demanded with a pout, Shiro sighed and shook his head, "you're fine Lance," he said crossing his arms, Lance shook his head and rolled up his sleeves and pointed to a bruise, "see! I'm bruised!" he cried.

"Lance, you'll be fine," Shiro said patting him on the shoulder and jerked his head towards the hallway, "we should go," he said and smiled when Lance trudged after him with a sullen look on his face.

When they reached the med bay, Hunk had Keith on the table while cleaning up his knee, he dropped the bloody cotton ball in the bin near his feet and rubbed antibacterial cream with his gloved fingers all over Keith's knee.

Shiro saw Lance tensed up and his eyes narrowed over at them, he didn't want to say this but Lance looked pretty jealous, Shiro ruffled his hair to distract him.

"Go help Pidge clean up," Shiro said, Lance nodded and walked over to Pidge struggling with a band-aid.

"How's his knee," Shiro asked walking over, Hunk finished wrapping Keith's knee and took off his gloves, "it's not as bad as it looks, but the cream will numb out the pain," he said. Keith nodded and rolled down his pants.

"I should shower, um will the bandages come off?" Keith asked, Hunk looked down at the bandages packet and frowned, "uh this is all in Altean so I have no idea but I'd be careful and if it does, I'll patch it back up again," Hunk said.

Keith nodded and with the help of Hunk, he got off the bed and limped over towards the showers, Hunk turned to Shiro and held out his hand.

Shiro held out his arm and let Hunk patch up his fingers, he bandaged the ring finger and the middle together, "Thanks, Hunk," Shiro said smiling at him.

"No problem man, I mean that's the least I could from when I knocked into you," he said laughing sheepishly, Shiro snorted a laugh and that had Lance looking over at them.

Lance frowned and he kicked his legs angrily, Pidge glanced over at him and shook her head, "you do realize that Hunk can have other friends besides you, right?" Pidge said hopping off the bed, Lance did the same and crossed his arms.

"I know but I don't like it," Lance muttered pouting, Pidge rolled her eyes and pinched him, "you gotta learn how to share," she stated.

"I was the youngest so I never really had to share my toys with any little siblings or my friends with my older siblings because they were all too mature," Lance murmured walking towards the showers.

"Bro, you do realize that Hunk's not a toy and besides, we're all friends here and I was the youngest too, I never complained about sharing my friends," Pidge said taking off her hoodie, Lance leaned against the wall and sighed.

"I guess," he murmured and took off his own shirt, Shiro and Hunk came inside a few seconds later and Hunk shut his eyes quickly.

"Pidge! Can you at least wait till you're inside the stall," Hunk muttered,

Pidge glanced over and glanced down at her bra, she shook her head and threw her hoodie at Hunk who let out a curse and blinked his eyes open, he glared at Pidge and snapped his head away shyly.

"Fine, fine, I'm going," Pidge said grabbing a towel and heading over towards a stall, it clicked shut.

"Thank god," Hunk said breathing a sigh of relief, Shiro shook his head and unzipped his vest and took off his belt, he placed it on the small counter and grabbed a towel.

"Hurry up and shower, we need to meet with Allura and Cora—"

Shiro was interrupted by a thud and a cry of pain from the stall furthest away from the door, "Keith!" Shiro shouted walking over, he placed his hand on the stall and stepped closer, "are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," came a soft reply, "just put too much pressure on my knee," Keith said.

"Shiro," Lance said getting Shiro's attention and pointed towards the floor, a river of blood stained water came out from under the stall door.

"Keith you're bleeding!" Hunk shouted, "Keith we're coming in," Shiro said pushing against the stall door but Keith slammed his hand against the door so Shiro couldn't open it.

"Don't! Don't come inside!" Keith shouted, there was an undertone of panic in his voice and Shiro frowned, "Keith you're bleeding, you don't sound okay," Shiro stressed.

"Please don't," Keith whispered, Shiro hesitated and looked back at Lance and Hunk who stared at him with concern.

"Keith..." Shiro started again but there was another cry of pain and more blood starting coming out.

Shiro tried opening the door again but it slammed shut, "I said no!" Keith shouted, Shiro backed off and lowered his hands.

"If not me, then someone else," Shiro said. There was a pause and then a soft reply came, "Hunk or Pidge, no one else," Keith murmured.

Shiro looked over his shoulder at Hunk and he nodded, "Pidge's in the shower, so I'll go," he said stepping forward.

"W-wait! I ch-changed my mind, only Pidge, only Pidge!" Keith repeated, there was a muffled wet slap from the inside and they looked at each other, "Keith, Pidge is showering," Hunk tried.

"I'll get her," Lance said going over towards the Pidge's stall and knocking, "I heard! Just let me wash off the soap from my hair!" she called.

They waited back and within a few ticks, Pidge came out with a towel around her body, she shuffled past the guys and slipped in the stall.

"I got it covered guys, just clean up and we'll meet you in the control room!" Pidge shouted through the door.

"Just call me if you need anything," Shiro said and turned back to the group, they slowly back up and grabbed their own towels, Pidge poked her head out with a glare and pointed to the next two empty stalls beside the one she was in, "nobody enter these two," she warned and slammed the door shut behind her.

Lance huffed and slipped into the shower stall Pidge was in and Shiro took the closest one to the door, there wasn't an extra shower stall so Hunk slipped in with Lance after promising him food.

Shiro could hear the muffled murmuring in the furthest stall and wondered what had happened and what they were talking about, considering Pidge's a female and Keith's a male, he didn't suspect that Keith would want Pidge in there with him.

Matter of fact, Shiro felt a bit offended by Keith's hostile attitude towards him, he thought they had gotten over that. It felt like they were taking two steps forward and one step back, it was exhausting.

Shiro shut off the faucet and ran a small towel over his hair and pulled on his boxers before heading out, Lance and Hunk were already out and were showing off their bruises from their training.

"Yikes!" Lance hissed poking at Shiro's bruised shoulder, Shiro twitched and Lance frowned, "Hunk remind me never to get on your bad side," Lance said.

"What? No! I'd never fight you Lance!" Hunk insisted honestly, "Uh-huh" Lance said narrowing his eyes playfully at Hunk who flushed and shoved him, "I'm serious man!" he hissed pulling open the cabinet to put on his spare clothes.

"I'm so glad Allura got replicate our clothes," Hunk said slipping on his brown pants, then his green vest over his yellow shirt.

"I know, I'm was scared that I'd have to wear one outfit for the rest of my life!" Lance shouted.

Shiro snorted and reached for his own clothes when Pidge poked her head out, Shiro glanced over quickly and stepped forward, "need my help?" he asked.

"I do but not yours, I need Lance's," Pidge said, Lance turned around and put his hands on his hips, "what for?" he asked curiously, "so I can have Keith bit your head off," she said bluntly, "get the fuck inside, it took me a while to convince him," she said.

Lance lowered his arms and trudged over towards her, he shuffled inside and let out a loud, "what the fuck?"

Hunk and Lance winced when they heard a loud wet slap and Lance's outraged cry of pain, "the heck Pidge!" he shouted.

"I guess we should leave them," Hunk said slipping on his boots while leaning against the wall, Shiro nodded and slipped on his clothes and followed Hunk out of the bathroom.

* * *

 

Lance rubbed his chest and pouted at Pidge who flicked him off, the shower was still running and it washed away the blood from Keith's lower back, who was still kneeling on the floor like a damsel in distress in all the cheesy action adventure movies Lance used to watch when he was a kid.

The only thing different was that he was a male, he was purple, he an alien with cat like features, oh and he grew a fucking tail.

"What'd you want me to do?" Lance asked kneeling down, next to Keith who glared up at him, he tail angrily hitting the floor behind him, "what do you expect  _me_ to do, how am I going to tell you what you should do!" Keith hissed.

"Lance, I'm going need you to wash Keith for me while I get his spare clothing, we're going to need to cut a hole for his tail and I need you to stitch it back so it doesn't fully rip," Pidge said, her towel slipping a bit and Lance quickly looked away and grabbed onto the body wash next to Keith's hand.

Pidge slipped out and Lance squirted a dollop on his hand and rubbed Keith's back, he moved to his shoulders and arms.

"You were really tortured, weren't you?" Lance asked running his fingers along the scars on Keith's arm, Keith ducked his head and nodded.

"I was—the problem with Galra is that we heal fast but the scars still stay," Keith murmured stretching out his legs and hissing, Lance nodded and rubbed soap all over his legs, he blinked at Keith's human like genital.

"What do Galra have that humans have as well?" Lance asked nonchalantly, Keith looked up at him and there was a flush on his cheeks, he tried to close his legs but Lance started washing his thighs.

"I—uh I-we have arms and legs—"

"I got the clothes!" Pidge called pulling open the stall, she wiggled long body suit and Keith told her to put on the counter, Lance finished washing him up and helped him stand, Pidge dried him off, she helped him put on his body suit and cut a hole so she could put his tail through and zipped up the back.

"I need you to stitch it up," Pidge said holding up a needle and black thread, Lance grabbed it and knelt down, he grabbed the cloth and folded, he stitched it back up so none of Keith's skin was showing.

Lance bit the extra thread and stood up, great now everyone's attention is going to be on Keith's ass cause of his tail. Not like it was before, the body suit was tight and it showed every bit of his lean body and round bottom.

Keith's tail wasn't exactly like a cat but more like a lion, a thick and long with light purple fur and almost dark purple to gray fur at the end of his tail.

"So, breaking news, Keith got a tail," Lance said and then he gasped, Pidge could practically see the light bulb go off on top of his head.

* * *

 

"Breaking news! Keith got a tail!" Lance shouted entering the control room with a grin on his face, everyone's head snapped up and Shiro stood up from his seat and looked behind Lance to see Keith standing a few steps back.

"Y-you got a tail?" Shiro stuttered, Coran frowned and twirled his mustache, "so, you're not a full adult yet," he confirmed.

"Adult?" Keith asked stepping away from Lance, Coran nodded and skipped forward, he circled Keith and lifted the tail and weighed it in his hand.

"It is pretty light and I have known many Galra with tails, this has the lightest tail I have seen, it is strong but not as strong as it should be," Coran said.

"But we never saw any Galra with tails," Shiro said, Hunk nodded, "yeah I mean, I saw one with three fingers but never a tail, a tail makes you look cuddly and loveable, not that you weren't already Keith but now you remind me of a cat or lion," he said.

"Now that I think about it, you're right, the Galra's we've seen never had tails," Lance said rubbing his jaw.

"Not all Galra are the same, some don't even have furry ears, some have long pointed ears, some don't even have fur, they have scales like a reptilian," Coran said lowering Keith's tail which he curled around his waist nervously.

"Can we go back on topic please?" Allura said crossing her arms, Shiro nodded and turned his attention away from Keith and turned to the screen.

"Pidge can you look through the memories," Allura said, "I put it in the system, all you have to pull it up," she added.

Pidge walked towards her seat and sat down while everyone crowded around her seat, Coran looked nervously at Allura, "I don't think your father would like us using prisoner's memories like this," he said.

"I know but we need all the information we can get from Sendak," Allura said, Lance grinned and pounded his fist against his hand, "once we get all the information we can pound on Zarkon's door and beat him up, winner gets the universe," he said grinning.

Shiro side eyed him and sighed, "anything Pidge?" he asked Pidge shook her head and Keith sighed, "we need a map, this is going to be too difficult," he said.

Lance snorted, "no we don't, I bet if I shoot my Bayard in any spot in space, we can hit a Galra ship," Lance said.

Shiro gave him another side eye, "we need a better plan," he said, Lance huffed and threw up his fist, "boring! I want the big ka-boom!" he whined holding up his fist.

"We can't fight him that instantly, we are all five inexperienced flyers and fighters, it's not going to be that easy," Shiro said.

"You'll get the big ka-boom later, right now, let's focus on the task at hand," Allura said.

"I'm picking up something, it's nothing big but a repeated word through all this Galra rubbish," Pidge murmured and pushed up her glasses, "something called universal station," she added.

"A station, like a universal hub?" Hunk said poking his head in Pidge's personal space, she glared at him and pushed him to the side, "it could also mean galactic hub," she said.

"Or space base," Lance said with a grin.

Everyone stared at him and Lance straightened up awkwardly, Coran shook his head and went the control panel, "I'm pulling up the location of your  _universal hub station base_  on the screen,"

"So, where is it?" Keith asked crossing his arms and staring at the screen, it showed three planets all in a triangle form, he squinted his eyes and tilted his head.

"I'm not sure, the ship can't pick up any other coordinates," Coran said.

"Maybe the memories are wrong," Keith said crossing his arms, Pidge leaned forward and rested her chin on her folded hands, "or maybe we stumbled across a top secret base in Sendak's memories," Pidge said, Keith glanced over at her confused and back at Allura who had gotten in position.

"Only one way to find out," she said starting up the ship towards the location. Hunk stretched his arms high above his head, "well, in the meantime, I'm gonna whip up something in the kitchen," he said, Lance perked up and followed after him with his hands stuffed in his back pockets.

Keith wanted to follow but he was scared of all the questions about his tail so he announced he was going to go and rest in his room.

Pidge watched Shiro watch Keith go, his eyes drifting down a few seconds before the door closed behind, Pidge wrinkled his nose and gave Shiro a look when he glanced at her, "what?" he asked defensively.

"You were staring at Keith's ass," she stated bluntly pushing up her glasses making them glint, Shiro flushed and he stammered out awkwardly, "I wasn't! I was just looking at his tail! Don't say ass, you're an adult yet!"

Pidge rolled her eyes and let Shiro storm out and saw Allura looking at her, "do humans find other humans body parts attractive?" she asked curiously. Pidge shrugged, "sometimes, I mean there are a few who aren't even attracted to a human at all," she explained.

"Oh," Allura murmured thoughtfully and turned back to the screen with a serious look on her face, Pidge raised an eyebrow at her odd behavior but turned back to the screen.

* * *

"I saw you looking at Keith's ass," Lance stated nonchalantly, picking up weird looking fruit, Hunk fumbled with the vegetable he was holding, he snapped his head over at Lance with an outraged expression all over his face.

"I wasn't!" he hissed bending down to pick up the vegetable, Lance snorted and hopped onto the counter, "I mean it's okay if you do, I can't deny that he has a nice ass but I thought you were straight," he said glancing down at his feet as he kicked them slowly.

"I'm not straight. I'm technically pansexual but why does that bother you, I might have glanced at his ass once but I don't like him like that," Hunk explained picking up the knife and cutting the vegetables.

Lance shrugged and peeked at him, "you never told me you were pansexual," he said, Hunk stopped his chopping and glanced over at Lance.

"Are you okay? I mean you're acting kind of hostile towards Keith, I thought you trusted him," Hunk said.

Lance sighed and put down the vegetable, "I do trust him and I'm not acting hostile, I just don't see what the big deal. Yay, he's good Galra, yay he's not a nice ass, and yay he can fight good, it's whatever," Lance said.

"You sound like your jealous..." Hunk said trailing off, Lance snapped his head up and glared at Hunk, "me jealous! Ha! As if I'll be jealous of a fucking purple alien looking cat with a very ugly 80's mullet!" Lance shouted.

"I don't know man, you sound like you're jealous and dude he can so totally pull off the mullet, he's got that Asian mullet," Hunk said smiling.

Lance pouted and hopped off the counter, "whatever, I'm leaving," he said.

"No-wait I'm sorry, okay yes bad mullet, alien dude not cool" Hunk said quickly, Lance turned to him suspiciously and he walked over hesitantly and leaned against Hunk.

"I guess I was kind of jealous—I mean I'm so used to you being my bestest of best friends and then Keith comes along and you're all buddy-buddy with him," Lance confessed.

"I don't like him, Lance" Hunk said calmly and then a thought came to his mind, "Uh do you l-like me?" he asked cautiously.

Lance snorted and he pinched Hunk's arm, "as if bro, you're like my brother" he muttered. Hunk sighed in relief and lifted his shoulder so Lance could lift his head, "I was about to say," Hunk said.

"Anyways, about this meal you're making me...."

* * *

 

"I thought you said you were going to chill out in your room?" Shiro said entering the viewing room to see Keith lounging on his side all over the pillows, his tail thumping steadily on the couch.

Keith quickly sat up and fixed his hair, "I wanted to see the stars," Keith murmured and stood up quickly, "I could go if you wanted to be alone," he added.

Shiro shook his head, "I wanted some company anyways," he said going around the couch to sit down, Keith sat down hesitantly beside Shiro and pulled his tail into his lap nervously.

"I-"

"Do-"

They both started suddenly and quickly clamped their mouths shut, Shiro laughed nervously waved his hand, "sorry you go first," he leaning back on the couch.

Keith didn't say anything except look down at his knees, Shiro blew out a breath and leaned forward again, resting his arms on his knees, "I just wanted to apologize from before," Shiro started.

Keith's ears twitched and he peeked over at Shiro, "during the bathroom, I was being really pushy and I should've respected your decision," he added.

Keith shrugged and ran his fingers through the small tuft of his tail, "it is alright, I understand that you were worried, I would have been too, I saw the amount of blood I lost," Keith said softly.

"Does it hurt?" Shiro asked glancing down at the tail, it flicked and Keith shrugged running his fingers through the giant tuft of fur, "not as much, it is more like a numbing ache now," Keith said.

"Can-can I touch it?" Shiro asked then quickly flushed when he realized how creepy he sounded, however, Keith didn't even bat an eye and lifted his hands to allow Shiro to touch his tail.

Shiro hesitated but let his fingers graze the soft fur, Keith lifted the end of his tail so it was fully under Shiro's palm.

"Oh wow—that's soft," Shiro murmured curling his fingers through the fur, the dark purple fur peeked past his fingers and Shiro's fingers trailed up the shorter fur along his tail that reached towards Keith's lower back.

"It's like a lions tail," Shiro commented, Keith gave him a look and bluntly said, "my tail doesn't shoot lasers."

"Wha-No! I meant like an actual animal lion," Shiro said quickly when he saw the confused look Keith gave him, he explained what a lion looked like.

"I know alteans have similar animals to like they do on earth, the mice for example and cats," Keith explained, "I read it once in a book but the mice in the pictures looked somewhat bland, the colors weren't as vibrant," Keith added.

"How'd you know about earth animals?" Shiro asked, Keith lowered his gaze and shrugged, "when I was a kit, I used to sneak out to steal books from the small library on the ship and read them all night, I wanted to learn everything about the universe,"

"Well, not to brag but I know a thing or two about the universe," Shiro said grinning, his grin vanished when Keith frowned up at him, "I do not want to learn a  _thing or two_ I want to learn about everything I can," Keith insisted.

"I-was-its—never mind, ignore what I said. Ask me any questions and I'll see if I can answer them," Shiro said.

Keith folded up his knees and sat crossed legged on the couch and folded his hands in his lap, "Tell me about your home, Planet Earth," Keith said eagerly.

"Well, what'd you wanna know?" Shiro asked leaning back and pressing his elbow against the back of the couch and leaning his forehead on his knuckles, Keith turned his body towards Shiro and ignored the small gap between them and licked his lips nervously.

"Y-your family? Where do you live on earth? A-and what's it like," Keith answered nervously.

"My family?" Shiro asked, Keith shrugged and wrapped his tail around his own legs, "you do not have to tell me," Keith said.

"No, I'll tell you—well I grew up..."

Even though Keith knew everything about Shiro's family, he liked listening to Shiro talk about them again, it felt nice and the stress on Keith's shoulders lifted just for a few minutes.

"When Zarkon's defeated and we free the universe from Galra empire, I'll talk you to see my family, I'm sure they'll like you," Shiro said.

Keith looked up at Shiro and gave him a small smile, "I would love to but I am not sure your family would like a strange alien purple cat in their homes," Keith stated.

Shiro pursed his lips and nodded thoughtfully, "yes I forgot about your being purple" he murmured.

"And an alien," Keith added.

"Yes, and an alien—so other than my family and where I live, what do you want to know about?" Shiro asked.

Keith thought for a tick and quickly answered, "stars—what do the stars look like on earth?" he asked.

"Well, that's easier to show then to explain but since Lance hid the tab, I'll try my best to explain...in major cities which have a lot of street lights and night lights, it's kind of hard to see the stars but when you're far away from the city or let's say civilization, the stars are more visible, it's not like the stars in outer space, it's more like billions of white diamonds stretching across the dark sky, there are thousands of them, too many to count, trust me I tried. It's fun camping out during the autumn and eating s'mores..."

Keith listened to Shiro talk, it was entertaining to see him get excited about little things, explain exactly what an s'more was and the value of having them in life, his eyes shined whenever he talked about something he liked, then it softened when he remembered a memory, sometimes he got sad when he talked about a particular memory.

"—I should've listened to her, she begged me not to take this mission but what was the point of me going to Garrison if I won't be able to travel to outer space, to visit unknown regions, I wanted to touch the stars. In the end, I left my mom on a bad note, I practically told her that she had no control of my life anymore, I'm not her little boy anymore, I'm a grown man who can make his own decision, she never called me after that, not even a single letter, I shouldn't blame her because I didn't even try either, I didn't even think about my mother before I departed from Garrison—"

"—when you go back home, I am sure she'll be happy to see you,"

"If I go back home," Shiro said stiffly, Keith frowned and glared at him, "how can you say  _if_  when you already promised me that you would teach me how to make a s'more," he stated harshly.

Shiro huffed a laugh and tilted his head, "sorry I forgot," he murmured.

"You need to go home, to speak to your mother and for my s'mores," Keith said glaring up at him, "I want to see the stars and eat s'mores," he added.

Shiro's lips twitched and he glanced over dark purple and black space staring right back at them through the large windows, stars twinkling at them as the ship moved.

"So, about your family?" Shiro asked, Keith shrugged and ran his fingers through his tail's fur, "there is nothing much to tell, I was abandoned, I am not sure if it was intentional or not but I grew up in a small ship, it was full of abandoned Galra kits like me, I was born during the war, not many Galra had time to take care of kits so they left them, I did not have much knowledge but I did sneak books into my room to learn as much as I could.

However, I was top in my class for fighting but what good did that do me, I was transported to the main fleet, Lotor's fleet, I was sold into his harem, I was to dance for many Galra filth, to pleasure them, entertain, most of the aliens in the harem found it enjoying but I did not, I hated it, I hated Lotor. I could not fight back, with all my training I knew, I could not fight back and even though I wanted to, I could not," Keith whispered.

Keith let out a soft gasp when he felt a warm finger on his cheek, he blinked up at Shiro and let him wipe the stray tear that fell, he lowered his gaze again, afraid of what Shiro thought of him.

"You must think I am disgusting, right? I had many moments that I could have killed Lotor but I was too scared to," Keith added.

"I'm not disgusted, you had no other option, like I had no other option to kill innocent lives during my time as a prisoner," Shiro said firmly.

"We were both toys for the Galra and that is why we are here to stop them. I'm glad though, I'm glad I didn't listen to mom, if I did, I wouldn't have met you," Shiro said grinning.

Keith felt his cheeks heat up and the tip of his tail curled happily, "I would it would have been during better circumstances though," Keith said peeking up at Shiro.

Shiro laughed and turned so he was fully facing the viewing glass, his tilted his head back so it rested on the couch and sighed wistfully, "if only," he murmured closing his eyes.

Keith leaned against the back of the couch and let his arms flop over the and he pressed his mouth against his arm as he stared at Shiro with wide eyes.

Keith was blown away, how can a mere human be so handsome, his skin was clear of any blemishes, strong jaw, thick corded neck, his brows were thick and black, rested right above his hooded eyes, his eyes were as big like Lance's or Pidge's, they were slimmer and his eyes were like ash or more a storm cloud, nose broad, and his lips were pink and wide.

Keith slowly moved his finger towards Shiro's cheeks, he wanted to know if they were as soft as they looked, he froze when Shiro peeked his eye open, "I could feel you staring," he stated.

Keith's mouth fell open and he felt his ears perk up straight, "I-I wa-was just--there's something on your neck," Keith lied quickly.

Shiro lifted his head and raised both eyebrows at him, "really? Where?" he asked moving his hand to rub the side of his neck, he brought his hand back and looked at it.

"Not there," Keith murmured wrapping his tail tightly around his waist, Shiro tilted his head and exposed his neck, "get it for me?" he asked.

Keith hesitated for a split second but awkwardly picked off an imaginary thing off of Shiro's neck, his fingers grazed the soft skin and it was exactly how Keith remembered it was, soft and smooth.

"Get it?" Shiro asked, Keith nodded and quickly brought his hand to his lap, "just hair," he murmured.

Shiro pursed his lips and nodded, he was about to say something else when the Coran's voice came through the comms.

_"Paladin's get to the control room, we are just about to arrive at the Galactic space hub!"_

* * *

 

Their moment was ruined, well not ruined exactly but it was interrupted, the sake of the universe was more important than their moment, Coran found the space hub and it took some time convincing from Shiro to let the princess join them on the mission even though Keith bluntly said it wasn't a good idea.

They flew from Pidge's lion and thanks to Coran for the cover up, they managed to land the ship safely and sneak aboard the control room, Shiro knocked out the first guard and Hunk and Lance took care of the other two sentries.

"Keith, watch out for any other guards; Hunk, Pidge, you two set up the computers and download the data, Lance take care of the sentires," Shiro ordered going over and kneeling down beside the main panel.

It took only a few ticks for Pidge to connect the panel towards her laptop and Shiro glanced over at Keith, "all clear," Keith said going over to kneel beside Shiro and glare at the laptop while Pidge tapped away on her laptop.

"This should only take a few minutes, we both made improvements on how we could download Galra information faster, it was Hunk's idea—"

"—yeah, yeah, remember back at the Garrison..."

Keith toned down their conversation and looked back out the window, he cut off Lance's groan when he saw the Galra cruiser coming their way.

"I think we should head out," Keith hissed, he felt on edge, it had been a while since he's been around Galra and a Galra cruiser, it gave him bad memories and he wanted to get out as fast as possible.

"Just a second," Pidge insisted.

There was a beep and they all froze for a split second before Keith hissed, "get down!" and they all dove under the panel for cover, a few seconds later a screen popped up to show a Galra soldier waiting for command

"I think he's waiting for a signal," Lance whispered.

"I got it," Hunk said crawling low and picked up one the knocked-out sentries and gave the Galra a signal, there was a brief silence before the Galra nodded and clicked shut the screen, they all breathed a sigh of relief and came out from hiding.

"Nice job Hunk!" Lance said grinning, Hunk smirked back and held up the Sentries broken arm to which Lance slapped, "thanks," he said.

Keith rolled his eyes and turned to Pidge, "anything?" he asked. Pidge shook her head and pushed up her glasses, "it's just a schedule of the ships coming in and out," she said.

Lance blew out a breath and cocked his hips, "well this mission was a bust," he muttered, Shiro nodded, "we should head back to the lion and get out of here before anyone finds us here," he said.

Allura cut Shiro off and asked Pidge where the ship was heading, "towards central command," Pidge answered, Allura nodded and stood up, "that's where we'll get the information," she stated.

That's when it all went down, Allura was stubborn and she wanted to be on that ship and find out as much information as she could while they were here, she offered and confessed to how her kind could change form as disguise, Shiro offered to go with her and Keith watched them disappear behind the door.

"They're onboard," Lance declared squinting at them through the glass, Keith turned his attention to another creature walking towards the cylinder tubs full of yellow liquid, he made up his mind and ignored Lance's warning and went to find out what it was.

Keith found out that the yellow liquid was quintessence from planets, the Galra were stealing quintessence from planets within a few doboshes which would normally take about many months. Keith also found out in the middle of his fight during the druid that the quintessence could make his Galra skin turn human.

Keith stared in shock at his human hand and demanded Pidge to come and save him, Pidge did and he safely got away, Allura was not as lucky as Keith. Shiro and Allura had gotten caught and only one had gotten away, Allura had saved Shiro by risking her life and now Coran was taking his anger out on Shiro and Keith made the mistake of voicing his thoughts about this risky mission on saving her.

"You're only thinking of yourself!" Lance cried glaring at him, Keith shook his head and turned to Shiro, "think about it, we're practically giving Zarkon the lions, we're inexperienced fighters and flyers, he will snatch it from us within a few ticks!" he insisted.

"We're saving her and that's final," Shiro stated glaring at him, Keith shook his head and took a step forward, "Shiro, think logically, we can not risk Voltron getting into Zarkon's hands!"

"My word is final, Coran start the ship," Shiro said turning his back to Keith and headed for his seat, Keith watched as everyone did the same.

Keith tried again but was instantly shut down by Shiro, "if you were captured, we would go instantly into battle to save you—"

"—I would not want you to!"

"Then you should've been in Allura's spot instead, you should've volunteered to go in, not Allura!"

Keith's eyes widened and he took a small step back, he felt his heart drop and the rest of the paladins awkwardly looked away, Keith licked his lips and opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out, he didn't know how to respond.

Keith clenched his fist and slowly made his way to his seat and allowed Shiro to lead the ship to follow the fleet.

It was a tense moment, everyone was on edge. Somehow they managed to come up with a plan, they managed to save Allura. Keith found out that Zarkon had a connection with the black lion as he somehow managed to eject Shiro from the lion, letting him dangerously flow out in open space but he somehow got trapped in a room with the Witch.

Everyone was going out of control, they were inexperienced and it was the first time they were risking their lives to save one, during the battle a large red forcefield barricaded them in a circle with Zarkon's main fleet.

While Hunk and Allura went to save Shiro, Keith made a rash decision and decided to take on Zarkon, one-on-one battle, even without a magical flying robot, he managed to harm Keith and the red lion. Shiro was saved by Hunk and Allura and managed to save Keith from Zarkon and fly back towards the ship. Somehow, the red force field vanished and Hunk quickly shouted through the bickering group

"Who cares! Worm hole!"

Allura made the jump but a large bolt of black and red shot out from the Galra ship and shot past them and into the wormhole.

"Keith hold on!" Shiro shouted through the helmets, "everyone hold on!"

The ship shook and they hadn't had time to close the hangar and out flew the five lions and into the wormhole.

* * *

Keith woke up to pounding headache, he groaned and sat up, his lion was out and he somehow managed to crash land on a deserted planet. Keith frowned and patted the control panel, "we had a good fight, once we're safely back onto the ship, I'll have you patched right up," he said and climbed through the escape hatch and stood on top of his lion and squinted at the rocky terrain.

"Shiro!" Keith called, his voice echoed throughout the planet but there was no answer in return, he knew Shiro landed with him, there was a blurry memory of both of them hurtling towards this planet.

Keith jumped off his lion and climbed out of the pit and started jogging towards the black lion's whereabouts through his helmet.

"Shiro!" Keith called again but like before there was no answer, just static coming through his helmet, but he kept on running towards the spot where the black lion was.

In no time he heard Shiro's voice coming through the speakers and he let out a relieved laugh, "you made it," he said fondly, he heard Shiro's tired laugh in return and then a pained hiss.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"My lion's out, I'm fine, just a few bruises," Shiro said.

"Same here, Red's out as well," he said and stumbled when he heard Shiro hiss again and mutter something about a wound.

Keith jumped off a cliff and landed on a rock column and paused, "wait, what wound?" he asked worriedly.

"Nothing, it's nothing," Shiro said reassuring but could tell Shiro was lying, he picked up speed and told Shiro he's on his way.

"Take your time...on second thought, you better hurry," Shiro whispered.

Keith winced when he heard the pained grunt and cries coming from his helmet and he used his jet back to jump through the geysers.

Keith stopped when he reached a huge cliff, he groaned and tapped his foot nervously.

"I'm in a hole, Keith you need to hurry cause these guys just started digging," Shiro's said.

"I'm trying but there's a huge cliff in my way and I can't go around it and it's too far of a jump," Keith hissed glaring at the cliff.

"Remember—patience yield focus," Shiro said calmly.

"What?" Keith asked.

"Patience yields focus, be patient, you'll think of something, I know you're pretty smart, you're my right-hand man after all," Shiro said laughing tiredly.

Keith nodded and looked around, "patience—patience—patience," he whispered to himself and looked around the barren land, he could hear the snarling and growling through his helmet and with every tick it got louder.

Keith snapped his head behind when geyser went off, an idea came to him and he activated his bayard, Keith walked over towards the edge and told Shiro to hang out, with quick swipes towards the rock, hot water propelled the 'v' shaped rock in an arch towards the other side of the cliff.

Keith grunted when he felt the rock eroded away quickly, with quick thinking he activated his jetpack and slammed against the side of the cliff and pulled himself up.

"I made it! I'll be there quickly," Keith shouted breathlessly with a grin, his grin vanished when he heard Shiro cry out in pain.

"Shiro! Shiro can you hear me!" Keith shouted but he didn't get an answer in return, Keith sprinted forward and jumped off the cliff and skidded down towards the lion, he ran towards the lion and pressed a hand on the mechanical muzzle.

"Please, Shiro needs our help..." he whispered, it felt like forever when the black lion finally opened his mouth to let Keith in.

With gritted teeth and anger flooding his veins, he attacked at the creatures and smacked the lion's paw on the ground, effortlessly scaring them away. Keith sighed in relief as they ducked over the large rocks and away from sight.

Keith climbed off the seat and ran out of the lion, he stopped for a split tick when he saw Shiro kneeling on the ground in shock staring at him with wide eyes and open mouth.

Keith quickly skidded to a halt beside him and cupped his face, not even thinking once, "you're hurt," he said softly staring at the bruises and scratches littering Shiro's face and neck. "Your wound, where is it?" Keith demanded pulling away but Shiro quickly grabbed his hand and turned Keith's attention towards his face.

"You piloted my lion..." Shiro whispered, Keith gave him a confused look but quickly shook his head, "Shiro, your wound!" he hissed yanking his hands free from Shiro's grasp and held back a gasp when he saw the light white and purple glowing marks on Shiro's exposed side.

"Let's get to high ground and I'll see what I can do," Keith whispered helping Shiro up and leading him towards the waiting black lion, he set Shiro on the floor so he could lean against the wall.

"I'm going to get your helmet but for now, you need to stay put," Keith ordered climbing back out of the lion, he found Shiro's helmet miles away, cracked and practically ruined.

Keith piloted the lion towards his red lion and lifted it higher towards a safer destination so they would be easier spotted by Coran and Allura.

"Your wound?" Keith asked climbing out of the seat and kneeling down beside Shiro, he lifted Shiro's hand and glared down at the wound, "the witch did this?" Keith asked.

Shiro barely managed a nod before he coughed and hissed when Keith put pressure on it, "it's weird—there's no blood," Keith started staring at the bright wound.

"I think it's infected," Shiro whispered, Keith nodded and promised that he'll put Shiro in the cryo-pod once Coran and Allura find them.

"It's getting cold in the lions, let's head out," Keith suggested when he saw Shiro tremble, he helped him off and helped him out of the cockpit and lead him over towards a huge boulder which he sat down and leaned against it.

"I'll be back, stay here," Keith ordered and tossed Shiro his helmet, "call me if anything happens," he said and jogged off.

It took him a while but he found some dried up twigs near a dead tree, he jogged back towards Shiro and dropped the pile of wood, "now if only we head fire," Keith murmured.

"The red lion," Shiro gasped, Keith blinked at him then turned his attention to red, the lion lowered its muzzle and opened its mouth to let out a small puff of fire and lit the sticks on fire, the instant warmth had Shiro sighing in relief.

Keith nodded to himself and went to sit down beside Shiro, "Coran and the princess should be here soon," Keith promised.

Shiro's lips twitched and he gave Keith a side glance, "how'd you managed to pilot my lion?" he asked tiredly, Keith shrugged and let his fingers draw circles in the sand, "I just told it that I need to save you and that you were hurt and in trouble," he said honestly.

"She likes you," Shiro said, Keith looked up him and he felt a small purr at the back of his mind which he quickly brushed it off, "I think she just wanted me to save her paladin," Keith said instead.

There was a silence before Shiro cleared his throat and Keith turned his attention from the sand circles to Shiro, "are you in pain?" he asked quickly but Shiro shook his head.

"I just wanted to apologize from before," Shiro said, Keith furrowed his brows and Shiro explained slowly, "I should've have said that you should've been in Allura's spot, it was not a nice thing to say and I'm positive I hurt you, I understand why you didn't volunteer, you were afraid of going back onto a ship and get trapped again and I said something so insensitive—"

"--It is not your fault, I understand that you were angry,"

"It was my fault, Keith! I let her get captured, I wasn't fast enough, I didn't think about the consequences, I should've stopped her instead of encouraging her and look because of me, we got into this mess without any information from the Galra ship," Shiro stated angrily.

"Pidge must've managed to download some Galra information, we do not know yet but Shiro—none of this was your fault, you couldn't have prevented it,"

"Maybe but I could've prevented saying those harsh words to you, I'm sorry," Shiro breathed, Keith shook his head and lifted his hand to brush the soft white bangs away from Shiro's face, "you were angry, I understand that now, I accept your apology but Shiro please do not hold this against you, leaders often make mistakes and that is how they become great leaders by making mistakes and learning from them," Keith whispered.

Shiro sighed tiredly and gave him a fond smile, "you'd make a great leader as well," he said, Keith's lips twitched and he gave Shiro a playful shove on his shoulder, "stop joking, I would be a terrible leader," he said.

"I-I think you would make a better leader than me," Shiro confessed, Keith's stared at him and he quickly shook his head when he saw the serious look on Shiro's face.

"Whatever you are thinking, you need to stop, nothing is going to happen to you,  _I_ will not let anything happen to you," Keith said firmly.

"Keith, just in case—just in case if anything  _does_ happen to me, I want you to lead Voltron," Shiro said softly.

Keith held back a distressed whine and he shook his head and furrowed his brows, "stop talking like that,  _nothing_  will happen," Keith insisted feeling his heart race nervously, it heightened when Shiro gave him a knowing smile.

Suddenly a bright white light shot from the dusty sky, Keith looked up and gasped when he saw a familiar worm hole and Pidge's green lion shooting out from the worm hole, Keith sighed in relief and everything felt better again even though Shiro's words were still ringing in the back of his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who liked! cause I liked it :)  
> anyways, if there's any mistakes, please tell me so I can fix em :D


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I know it's been a long time since I updated but I have a valid reason for it.  
> 1) the hurricane happened and I was helping my parents and the community, I started volunteering at a donation center and it's was tough, a lot of peoples houses were ruined and some even lost their pets which was also heartbreaking to here.  
> 2) I found two cats during a midnight run to walmart, they were found in a bush, one's leg was hurt and I HAD to take them in and get them all fixed up. My mom ended up adopting them and they fit in perfectly in my parents home.  
> 3) my fucking landlord was being a total bitch to me when I came back, I forgot to pay rent since I was obviously out of town and she wanted me out within a week and even though I offered to pay the rent, she still wanted me out which made no sense. So I had to find a place to stay because 1) I had my cat with me and 2) I had some expensive shit with me and I wasn't going to stay at a shelter home because some people are shady there and they WILL take your shit and pawn it on. (not being rude but it's the truth)  
> 4) I live in Queens new york and it was a bitch a total bitch to find an apartment within a week, luckily my friend let me chill at her place until I found one and I did just last week. *Lucky!* It's not too far from my work area :p  
> 5) I was emotionally exhausted after this whole ordeal and I just wanted to rest and just calm down after everything.  
> 6) my grandparents (they're not really my grandparents, they're technically my grandparents sister who I call choti nanni which means 'little grandmother') anyways they live in Florida where Irma hit and their grandkids live in cherry hill new york and they refused to help their parents and so I gave them all my money that I had saved up for my trip to Toyko and honestly I don't mind cause they're obviously like my grandparents and they have treated me like their granddaughter so I helped them  
> AAAANND that's a wrap!

"Where's Lance and Hunk?" Keith asked as they helped Shiro into the cyro-pod, Coran helped Keith out of his paladin armor after Shiro was settled in the pod, Coran frowned at the damage of both armor's and frowned.

"This will take some time to fix up," he said dumping the armor in a cart and walked back over to Shiro's cyro-pod and looked at the damage.

"Allura's looking for them right now," Pidge said hopping onto the table beside Keith and started picking at her nails. Keith nodded and took a step forward and turned to Pidge, "what happened during the worm hole jump?" Keith asked.

"It was the witch, she did something and it triggered the wormhole and you five flew out and into different directions, I'm just glad that you were with Shiro or else he could have gotten more hurt," Coran said walking over to them.

"I'm just glad everything's okay now," Pidge said scratching her head then grimaced, "I really need a shower," she muttered but didn't make a move for the showers, she just started swinging her legs nervously while glancing at Shiro ever so often.

"What happened to him?" Pidge asked but there was a sudden alert from Allura indicting she found the location of Lance's and Hunk's lions, Pidge instantly hopped off and ran towards the door, "I want every detail when I get back!" Pidge called before heading out.

Keith turned to Shiro and furrowed his brows, he felt Coran squeeze his shoulder comfortingly, "He'll be alright, Shiro's a strong man," he said.

Keith nodded and gave Coran a tight smile, "I know," he murmured, what Shiro went through today was nothing compared to what he went through on the Galra ship, it was the wound that stressed him out.

The wound itself had a weird light purple glow to it and there was no blood, it must've been cursed and Keith knew the powers the witch held and it scared him, he wasn't about to lose Shiro again, not this time.

Keith jerked when there was a jolt throughout the ship indicating that it was making a wormhole jump, Keith sighed in relief, they found Lance and Hunk.

Not long after, Hunk and Lance entered the med bay, bruises over their body and they were oddly damp, "look who made it out alive, you scared us for a second buddy," Lance said walking over and smacking his hand on Keith's back making him jerk forward, he narrowed his eyes at Lance and wrinkled his nose.

"You smell," Keith stated, it was true they all smelled but these two smelled of the salty ocean, Lance wrinkled his own nose and lifted his arm up to sniff his pits and he gagged.

"Okay, I'm heading for the showers, but uh what happened to Shiro?" Lance asked. Keith glanced at Shiro and then back at Lance, "the planet we landed on did not have friendly locals, plus he was wounded by the witch on the ship," Keith answered.

Hunk gulped and he nervously cupped his cheeks, "the weird witch right, the one with the hood, the grim reaper looking witch with the glowy eyes?!" he said nervously, his voice going up an octave.

Keith nodded and Hunk licked his lips nervously and glanced over at Shiro, "He'll be alright, right?" Hunk asked.

"Of course, these Cyro-pods can heal anything," Coran said proudly, "my grandfather built it of course," he added and then his nostrils flared, he glared at the dirty and worn out four paladin's staring at him tiredly, "you four need to clean up fast, your stinking up my medical room," he said.

"Can we wait till Shiro wakes?" Keith insisted but Coran shook his head and pointed his finger towards the door, "no can do, you all stink like a bunch of  _Yunax_ , straight for the showers, all of you," he said.

Keith huffed and decided that the quicker he took a shower the quicker he could come back, he walked out of the medical bay and headed towards the showers, he peeled off his black under body suit and dumped into the shoot near the door and grabbed a towel before making a beeline towards the closest shower stall.

The hot scalded water felt so nice against his sore muscles and it heated up the shower room instantly, Keith sighed and tilted his head back into the spray of water, he grabbed one of the soap bottles and squirted a dollop on his hand and rubbed it on his head, scrubbing away the grime and dirt from his hair.

There was a muffled moan from the shower stall next to him and Keith's ears twitched, "Lance?" He called worriedly, he heard a snicker from the opposite direction and a defense response, "I'm not doing anything! It's just the water's nice! Okay! I haven't taken a shower in a long time!" Lance cried.

 _"Sure Jan!"_ Hunk called, Keith frowned and his ears twitched under the spray of water, "Who is Jan?" Keith called confused, there was a snort of laughter and Hunk told him not to worry about it, Keith scrubbed the rest of his body just as quickly and turned the water off before heading out to dry himself off with a towel.

"That's a huge bruise," Pidge said walking out with a towel wrapped around her body, Keith glanced over his shoulder at the bruise on his lower back and frowned, "it is not that big," he murmured, Keith had dealt with much worse than a small bruise.

"Dude, it's literally covered half of your back," Pidge said poking it, Keith twitched and he used his tail to swat her hands away from him, he glared at her and grabbed his clothes from the cabinet.

"Please refrain yourself from touching it," Keith said dropping his legs through the pant holes and pulling the body suit over his bruised body, he slipped his arms through and reached behind him to get the zipper but the bruise on his shoulder blade made it difficult.

"You need to start wearing more simpler clothing," Pidge said zipping up Keith's suit all the way to the back of his neck, Keith sighed and ran his hands over his sides, "this is simple, human clothes are weird," Keith said defensively glaring at Pidge's weird hoodie and pants, "there are so many hidden pockets and zippers" he said glaring at the numerous zippers on Pidge's hoodie.

Pidge shook her head and slipped on her boots, Keith frowned at her and used a small towel to dry his hair, "I like my clothes and I am not changing it," he said stiffly tossing the damp towel in the bin and grabbed his black boots from the closet and slipped them on.

"Don't you feel exposed wearing it?" Pidge asked pulling open the door, Keith walked out and sighed at the cold castle air, as much as he liked the heat, he hated the steam that the showers created.

"Not at all, I feel covered, my clothes cover every inch of my body," Keith said holding out his arms, Pidge snorted and pushed up her glasses, "whatever you say," she said.

Keith gave her a curious look but Pidge waved him off and hurried down the hall back towards the med bay, Coran was still there along with Allura who was peeking over Coran's shoulder at something on the small screen he was tapping on.

Keith frowned when he saw Shiro still inside the cryo-pod, "he still does not look much better," Keith said.

"It may seem so but his wound healed up and it stitched up nicely, it'll leave a scar but other than that, there's just some minor bruising and he still needs to rest just a bit before he's ready to come out," Coran said not looking up from the screen.

Keith frowned and his ears twitched when he heard the door swish open, he didn't even glance back at Hunk and Lance who just entered the room. Hunk walked over and frowned at Shiro, he was twitching and grunting inside the pod, he glanced over at Keith whose gaze was still on Shiro.

"Is he okay?" Hunk asked worriedly turning to Allura, she glanced up with a frown and nodded, "sometimes the healing process can cause involuntary brain wave reactions," she explained.

"He...looks like he's having a really bad dream," Hunk said rubbing his chin.

"Zarkon's witch blasted him and then he almost got mauled by giant lizard creatures on the planet we landed on, I wonder what could be worse," Keith stated. Although he did have a hunch, a very good hunch what his dream was, he was dreaming about being back on the Galra prison ship.

"True," Lance murmured hopping on the table, Pidge worriedly glanced away from Shiro, "how much longer?" she asked impatiently.

"You can't rush healing," Coran said stiffly, Pidge's cheeks flushed embarrassedly and she nodded, Pidge walked over to Lance and murmured to him in a low voice. Nobody could hear but Keith could make out what they were talking about.

 _"I wanna go home,"_  Pidge murmured, Lance glanced at her and his frowned deepened,  _"everyone wants to go home Pidge,"_ he said softly.

Pidge's eyes watered just a bit and she lowered her head a bit more,  _"I always thought that it would be easy to defeat Zarkon, we would find my brother and my dad, then we would be home, it would be fine, I don't want to do this anymore,"_

 _"Shiro will be fine, besides I'm here right, all of us are here for you and none of us are going to die if that's what you're worried about,"_ Lance murmured grabbing her hand, Pidge stiffened but didn't pull away and Lance held onto her hand until she slowly relaxed and moved closer into his space.

"Guys, I think he's waking up," Hunk called.

Keith blinked and focused on Shiro and moved up the steps, he grunted when Lance and Pidge shoved past him and pressed their faces an inch away from the glass, Keith glared at them and moved to stand beside Pidge.

"You might wanna move back Paladins, when the Cyropod opens, I'm positive that neither of you two can hold up Shiro's weight!" Coran called from the back.

Pidge and Lance pouted and moved bit a few inches and Hunk eagerly placed his hand on the Cyro-pod, Keith smiled softly when Shiro blinked awake.

The glass dissolved and Hunk held out his arms just in case but Shiro held his weight and heaved himself out, Keith's fingers twitched to grab him just to make sure he was real and safe but that would be weird so he clenched his fist tightly beside him and let Shiro stumble past them and slump against a nearby table as Coran checked his vitals.

"He's fine, just a few hours of sleep will help you regain your energy," Coran said smiling at him and wiggling his mustache, his smile faded when he saw the distant look on Shiro's face.

"Is everything alright Shiro?" he asked.

Shiro blinked and glanced up at Coran then glanced over to the group, his gaze locked onto Keith for a split second before going towards Allura, "I-I remembered how I escaped," he murmured.

Keith's heart seized and he took a cautious step back. Pidge, however, stepped forward eagerly. "How?! Did you remember Matt? My father? What happened?" she asked desperately.

Shiro shook his head, "I don't remember your father or Matt but somebody in Zarkon's rank helped me escape, it's all blurry now but I remember it clearly, a Galra helped me escape and he—he inserted a coordinate in my arm and told me to go there once I got the blue lion and the rest of the lions," Shiro explained.

"Anything else?" Keith asked, Shiro looked up at him and shook his head, "it's all blurry," he confessed, Keith's ears flattened and he nodded before lowering his gaze to the floor.

Allura held up her hand, "first things first, let Shiro changed into clothes and give him something to eat before we investigate," she said.

"Already on it princess!" Coran said bolting towards another table where Shiro's clothes lay folded, he picked it up and handed it to Shiro, "I'll have a bowl of good brought to you as well," he added but Shiro shook his head.

"I'm fine, I'm not that hungry, just let me change," Shiro said getting up slowly and cautiously, "I'll meet up with you guys later," he added.

They nodded and slowly left the room, Keith was the last person to leave but with Shiro's encouraging smile, he jogged after Hunk and let the door hiss shut behind him, Pidge eagerly led the group towards a small room where her laptop and other equipment was set up.

Keith hovered behind her and watched as she booted up her computer with the help of Hunk who flipping switched on a large metal box, Keith looked just as confused at Lance.

"Wonder what they're doing?" Lance whispered to Keith who shrugged and jumped when Lance yelped, Keith frowned when Lance glared at him and pointed a finger at him, "keep your furry tail away from me!" he hissed.

Keith frowned and looked behind him at his tail swooshing gently, he peeked at Lance who was rubbing his thigh and muttering about 'weird alien space cats,' Keith rolled his eyes and patiently waited for Pidge and Hunk to turn on their 'stuff' while waiting for Shiro.

Keith's ears flicked and he peeked over his shoulder and a few ticks later Shiro rounded the corner and entered the room with a determined look.

"Feeling better?" Allura asked, Shiro nodded and Pidge motioned for Shiro to sit down on the chair, Keith moved to the side so Shiro could slip between him and Lance and sit down.

"So, how does this thing work?" Lance asked squinting at the wires coming out of the computers. Hunk held up a weird plug and waved it a bit, "so Pidge and I created this, it's basically a USB, we can extract information from basically anything which in case Shiro's arm," Hunk said.

"Sounds morbid," Lance stated, Hunk snorted and handed the wire to Pidge who plugged it under the flap of Shiro's arm, they watched curiously at the wire light up a neon blue and the computer started up showing a serious of numerous Galra script and numbers.

Keith moved to stand behind Pidge and peered into the computer, he frowned when he realized that it was a repeated serious of numbers, Pidge realized it too and she pushed up her glasses, "it's just repeating a bunch of numbers, are you sure you didn't just dream it?" she asked.

Shiro sighed impatiently, "I'm positive, someone helped me escape—"

"—and he was Galra—"

" _—Yes"_

"You know you can't trust the Galra," she stated firmly, Keith flicked his tail angrily and Allura gave him a look, "Keith is an exception and it took us time to finally trust him, we cannot blindly trust any Galra," she explained.

Shiro's jaw ticked and his clenched his fist that was on his thigh, "your father must've trusted them once," he said and glanced up with a glare, "Zarkon was the original paladin wasn't he," he accused.

Allura's own jaw clenched and she snapped her head away, "that was a long time ago," she stated, Lance's eyes widened and he snapped his own head to stare at Allura, "uh what now?" he asked nervously.

Keith rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "you cannot be serious, it was so obvious, did you not see his Bayard,  _Shiro's_ Bayard, he practically took the black lion right from under Shiro," Keith stated staring at the group with a glare, he was embarrassed to be part of part human, they were so slow sometimes.

Shiro softened his gaze and he blinked at Allura, "why didn't you just tell us?" he asked accusingly.

Allura closed her eyes for a second before lifting her, "I did not want to tell because I—we wanted to hide the dark history of the paladins, we wanted you to bond with the lions, Zarkon is not the Black Lion's paladin anymore, you are Shiro," she said firmly.

Shiro looked away and leaned back against his seat, "doesn't seem that way," he murmured.

"Wait a second," Pidge said, they all glanced at her and she was tapping on her keyboard while keeping her gaze on the screen, "I think I see it now, it's a repeated number in all the Galra script, let me pull it on the screen," she said.

A hologram showed above them and instantly the numbers led to a coordinate which showed upon the screen.

"Shiro was right, these are coordinates," Pidge said then squinted, "it leads to the Thaldycon System," she stated.

Shiro stood up and unplugged the wire from his arm, the flap sealed shut and Shiro looked at the screen, "then that's where we're headed," Shiro said.

Keith spoke up, he may trust Shiro but whoever put the coordinates in Shiro's arm he did not trust at all, there was a small chance that it was Ulaz's who put in the coordinates but he did not want to take that chance.

"Shiro—are you positive about this, I may be Galra but my trust in them is little," he said then glanced down at Shiro's arm, "the things they have done to you," he stated.

Shiro nodded, "I'm positive, if we can get help from the person who helped me escape then we can get some information on Zarkon which also means we'll get Allies, there might be more good Galra out there other than you Keith," Shiro said.

"Alright, we can check the location but let me be clear, I do not like this and we will be on guard the whole entire time," she said.

They nodded and Allura informed Pidge to send the coordinates to main control panel and left to find Coran.

"Man, I can't believe that Zarkon used to pilot the black lion," Lance said slumping down on the chair Shiro was sitting on.

Keith glanced over at him and rolled his eyes, "how are humans so slow," he wondered, Lance glared at him and gave him a finger which Keith tilted his head in confusion, "what does that mean?" he asked curiously.

Lance's eyebrow raised and he grinned, "come my pupil, I will show the world of human signals," he said patting his thigh.

"Lance," Shiro said sternly, Lance slumped against the seat and muttered under his breath, Keith turned to Shiro and took a step closer, "what does it mean?" he asked.

Shiro shook his head, "nothing to worry about but first of all, are you okay?" he asked, Keith blinked and he nodded, "I am alright but I was not the one who was tossed around by a pack of carnivores lizards," he stated.

Shiro laughed softly and he leaned against the table, "Yeah about that, thanks again," he said. Keith shrugged and stepped closer, "it is what we do right? Look out for each other, I am positive you would have done the same," he said softly.

Shiro smiled at him and Keith willed himself not to look away and blush like a pubescent kit, but that did not stop his tail from curl happily against his back.

"Also try not to die again or like half die cause Pidge actually cried," Lance called from behind them, Shiro's face flushed embarrassingly and he stared at Pidge who was giving Lance a murderous glare with her cheeks flushed, she pushed her up glasses.

There was a split second before Lance's eyes widened and he scrambled off the seat and ran off with Pidge chasing after him while screaming at him, Hunk gave a low whistled and Shiro's face turned from embarrassed to shock, Keith looked between them and frowned.

"Who taught her those words," Shiro asked turning to Hunk, he raised his hands defensively, "contrary to belief, Pidge is technically sixteen, not twelve," he said. Shiro raised an eyebrow and turned to Keith, "there are also some foreign words in there that none of us know," he stated.

Keith instantly found the computer interesting, he fiddled with the wires and ignored Shiro's intense stare.

"Dude no way! Teach me Galra curse words as well! Don't play favorites!" Hunk cried, Keith's cheeks flushed and he glared at Hunk, "I did not! How can you accuse me of such a low act!" he cried defending himself.

"Uh-huh r _iight,_  totally agree, how can I think of something so low," Hunk said solemnly, Keith huffed and he pushed away from the table and pointed at both of them, "I did not teach her Galra curse words," he stated and stormed off with his cheeks heated.

Keith paused when he heard Coran's voice through the comms,  _"All paladins return to the main control, we are about to do a wormhole jump! Allura's requesting everyone here!"_

Keith met up with Pidge and Lance in the control panel, Lance was rubbing his arm while Pidge was sulking in her seat, the door hissed behind him and he narrowed his eyes at Hunk and Shiro and moved to his own seat.

Hunk walked over to Pidge and whispered in her ear, she nodded and jerked her head over towards Keith and he slumped in his seat when Hunk gave him a wink.

"Now that everyone is here please be wary, Shiro I trust you but you need to understand my precautious on the Galra," Allura stated.

Shiro nodded and Allura sighed before placing her hands on the columns, "ready Coran?" she asked, Coran nodded and Allura started up the wormhole jump, the castle shook for a bit as it jumped through and suddenly there were on the other side of the wormhole, in a barren wasteland of xanthorium clusters.

"Well, here we are, nothing here, living or dead," Coran said pushing the castle forward, Shiro leaned in closer and frowned, "is there a way we can get closer?" Shiro asked, Coran, frowned and shook his head, "I wouldn't suggest that. Those are xanthorium crystals they contain highly unstable nitrate salts, even bumping into one of them can blow us straight"

Shiro furrowed his brows, "are you sure this is the right place?" he asked, Coran glance over at him and nodded, "these are the coordinates number five gave us," he stated.

Pidge huffed and slumped in her seat, "hey! My decryption is solid!" she cried in offense.

Shiro glanced down, "there must be something we're missing," he stated, Allura shook her head, "I think we've had enough, there's nothing here and so we should move on," she stated.

"No, we're not leaving, there's something more to this place, I have a feeling," he said then added, "I think we should wait."

"Shiro maybe Allura's right, just cause there's one Galra who's good doesn't mean there's a whole flock of them," Lance said.

"I think we should wait," Keith stated glaring at Lance, "Shiro's our leader and what he says goes," he added.

"Kiss ass," Lance muttered flopping in his seat and crossing his arms.

"Just be patient guys," Shiro said opening his screen, he used his fingers to scan through the crystals for an opening but there was none but that didn't stop him, suddenly his screen blared red and an alarm echoed throughout the room.

"There's an intruder in the Castle!" Coran cried turning to glare at Shiro, Lance quickly sat up and frowned, "how can someone sneak aboard this ship!" Lance cried, Allura shook her head and stared up the ship, "I knew coming here was a mistake!" she cried anxiously, she put the security cameras on display and tried to find the intruder.

Allura's eyes narrowed on the person bolting through one of the halls, "there he is! Level five," she stated firmly.

"Everyone suit up," Shiro ordered getting up and heading for the shoot that leads him towards his uniform.

"Keith get up man!" Lance cried jogging past him, Keith blinked and nodded, he walked over towards his own shoot, there was no way possible, the intruder had a _Blade of Marmora_ uniform. It could be Ulaz but there was also a chance that it was someone else.

They all suited up and they ran up the stairs towards Level five, "splitting up would help," Keith suggested, Lance shook his head and so did Hunk, "uh this guy is Galra and could easily take us out!" Lance hissed.

"Calm down but Keith's right, splitting up would be a better option, we'll cover more grounds this way," Shiro said and turned to Keith, "be careful," he said then turned to everyone who nodded.

Keith turned a jogged down a hallway with Pidge beside him then they split when they reached a fork in the hallway.

 _"I got him!"_  Lance shouted through the comms, Keith ceased his running and turned towards where Lance was,  _"Keep eyes on him Lance, we're heading your way,"_ Shiro called.

 _"Careful!He's faster than an angry Klanmuril!"_ Coran's voice came through the castle comms, Keith could hear Lance's surprise grunt and Coran's voice came again,  _"Oh! But he can jump like a sprightly globinheffer!"_

_"Someone's as mad as wet cheaper!"_

Keith rolled his eyes and sprinted faster towards them, Keith skidded to a halt when he heard Coran's voice again,  _"Coming your way number five!"_

Keith turned into the hallway that Pidge entered when they split.

_"I got him!"_

There was a shocked gasped then a frantic cry,  _"I don't got him!"_

_"He's dragging Pidge away!"_

Keith took a small detour and sped down the hall, he tapped his finger against his helmet and sure enough he saw the outline of the rest of the paladins, they were heading his way. Keith slowed down to a stop and waited.

_"Ooh! Hunk failed the team guys!"_

_"All right, It's up to Keith now!"_

Keith smirked, "copy that, I'm ready," he said and activated his Bayard and started running towards the direction they were coming towards.

_"Ooh, this is exciting! He's got a sword. One young Paladin, one seemingly indestructible foe..."_

Keith's eyes eyed and he quickly ducked low as the Galra sped past him, he had Pidge's grabbling hook in one hand while dragging her with him. Keith jumped over the neon green rope and sped up to reach the Galra.

Impulsively he swung the sword but the Galra dodged him, he swung again, another dodge, Keith rolled onto his back and he jumped back onto his feet.

_"Swing and a miss. Oh, another swing and a miss! He can't touch him, he's too fast!"_

Keith gritted his teeth and he glanced over at Pidge, she gave a nod and used the heel of her boots to slow down the Galra, surprisingly the Galra jerked to a stop. Keith grunted and activated his rocket booster before jumping up and hitting the wall and swung his sword at the Galra.

The Galra raised his own swung and met Keith head on, they pushed their swords against each other and Keith could feel a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek, he glanced down at the sword and his eyes widened at the shape, it was familiar, very familiar.

The Galra took his distraction as an opportunity and used his full force to swing Keith's sword across the hall, Keith backed away carefully.

_"He knocked his bayard out of his hands! It's on the ground!"_

Keith gritted his teeth and charged forward with his fist ready but the Galra was far too clever, he dragged Pidge's grabbling hook forward and in doing so, he smacked Pidge into Keith making both fly across the across.

Keith protected Pidge's body with his own and grunted when he fell back against the floor, he slid her off of him and charged back at the Galra but he got Keith's fist in his elbow, he twisted Keith wound and flung him across him the hall and knocking him down with Lance and Hunk who just turned the corner.

They all groaned and sat up, Keith's eyes widened when he saw Shiro with his Galra arm activated and an inch away from the Galra's neck, it was a tense silence before the Galra backed away and lowered his sword.

Keith helped up Lance and they both helped up Hunk, Keith glanced behind him and saw the Galra lower his hood and dissolve his mask, his eyes widened when he saw Ulaz standing there with a frown on his face.

"Ulaz?" Shiro whispered staring at him as he saw a ghost, then out of nowhere Allura shoved past them and slammed Ulaz against the wall, "Who are you!" she demanded.

"W-wait!" Keith shouted stepping forward just as Shiro shouted, "Stop! It's him! This is the Galra who set me free!"

Keith jogged over and stood beside Shiro, Allura however, didn't release her grip on Ulaz, "Allura please let him go," Keith tried but Allura kept her glare steady on him.

"You've come," Ulaz stated turning his attention to Shiro, his blaring yellow eyes steady on Shiro, not sparing a single glance at Keith.

"I do not care if you trust him Shiro, I don't trust him and neither does Coran or the rest of the group," Allura said.

"I trust him as well," Keith said stepping forward, Ulaz finally glanced over at Keith and his lips twitched, "hello little Kit," he said.

Keith sighed in relief and his ears flicked, Allura glared over at Keith and she clenched her jaw, "even you Keith, you must forgive me but it is much harder to put my trust in any Galra," she said.

"Hunk, I'm going to need your help," Allura added, Hunk nodded and he sidestepped past Keith and nervously grabbed onto Ulaz's arm and helped Allura lead Ulaz away.

"How do you know him?"

Keith turned to Shiro, he lowered his gaze for a second before turning his attention back to Shiro, "he was the Galra the helped me escape from Lotor's ship and one of the Galra's who helped me recover," he said.

"Then why are you two separated?" Shiro asked, Keith shrugged, "he needed to go undercover and I couldn't stand being locked in a small ship anymore, I wanted my freedom and he granted it to me, so I left and you guys found me," Keith explained.

Shiro nodded, "we better follow them, I don't know what they'll do to Ulaz," Shiro said. Keith nodded and he followed Shiro and Lance through the halls and into the lounge room. Keith frowned when he saw Ulaz sitting on the couch, his hands and feet bounded by Altean cuffs.

"I don't think this is necessary," Shiro said sighing, Allura didn't move her glare away from Ulaz and hissed, "I will not have some  _quiznacking_ Galra soldier on my ship!"

Ulaz lifted his gaze and met Allura's glare steady on, "If I wanted to you kill you, you'd already be dead," he stated firmly.

Allura gave a disbelieving laugh, "is that supposed to win my trust!" she shouted, Ulaz sighed and sat up straighter, "I am not trying to win trust, I am trying to win a war," he said and added, "and because of Shiro, we are closer than we've ever been. Our gamble on your paid off better than we could have ever imagined."

Keith blinked and turned to Shiro with a frown, Shiro lowered his gaze for a split second, "when you released me, you also mentioned that there were other working with you," he said.

Ulaz nodded, "yes, we are called the Blade of Marmora," he said and looked at Keith who gave a small step back, "and your fellow paladin is a member too," he said.

Everyone turned to Keith and Hunk nervously scooted closer to Pidge, "Uh, others? Are they here?"

"Hunk, can you try not act so scared, we have a Galra prisoner!" he hissed then turned to Keith who was fidgeting under the stares from Allura and Shiro, "so you knew about the Blades or Marmora-ever thingy?" he asked.

Keith sighed and nodded, Allura's eyes narrowed and Keith quickly defended himself, "I need to win your trust solely if I told you that there's an elite group of undercover Galra soldiers who are willing to fight against Zarkon, would you have believed me?" he asked.

"Of course—"

"—Never,"

Shiro and Allura both looked at each other than snapped their heads away with a glare, "I will never put my trust in a Galra again," Allura whispered.

"You trust Keith, don't you," Shiro countered back, Allura rolled her eyes and gave a sharp exhale, "I trust him because he's the red Paladin, I trust him because he earned my trust," she snapped harshly.

"Please, can we not argue, there could be more Galra on this ship!" Hunk whined, Lance narrowed his eyes at Hunk and snapped at him being 'lame.'

Ulaz shook his head, "there is no one else on this ship besides me, there is no one in the base either," he explained.

"This base? What is this base? Shiro's coordinates only led us to his barren wasteland," Allura said crossing her arms.

"The base his hidden, I know now that it is Shiro, you all are welcome to my outpost," Ulaz said. Pidge narrowed her eyes, "behind all the clusters?" she asked.

"No, right in front of it, in a hidden pocket of space-time," Ulaz said.

Allura lifted her head and called out, "Coran are you hearing this!"

 _"I am picking up an anomaly, I suppose it could be a hidden base,"_ Coran replied through the comms.

"Just head straight for the clusters, you will see," Ulaz said.

Allura shook her head, "do you honestly think you're going to get me to destroy my ship because you say so?" she demanded.

"We came out here to find some answers, we are  _not_ turning back," Shiro stated, Keith, nodded, "I have my full trust in Ulaz and Shiro," Keith said.

"Yeah, I don't like agreeing with Keith more many multiple reasons but I trust him on this oh and Shiro," Lance said mimicking Keith by crossing his own arms.

Pidge shook her head, "Galra could have easily implanted fake memories of your escape, this could be a trap," she stated.

"Oh, come on, that's so totally evil which, of course, they are—not your Keith, you're cool—but they'd have to come up with some molecular level storage unit, which Shiro's hand does have, but to be linked up to memory it would need a direct pathway to his brain, which...yeah buddy it's a no-go for me," Hunk said shrugging.

Shiro gave an impatient sigh and he stared dead ahead at Allura, " _Ulaz_ freed me and he freed Keith, without him neither of us would be here, I have my full trust him and so does Keith," he snapped.

Allura gave a defeated sigh before nodded, "fine. Slow and Steady Coran, head straight for the xanthorium clusters," she called.

_"Alright Princess, beginning approach, impact in three...two—Well that's something,"_

There was a level of awe in his voice and Allura anxiously asked what was wrong.

 _"Putting it on the screen now,_ "

"Amazing, they're folding space!" Pidge whispered in a mixture of awe and shock, Hunk nodded and furrowed his brows, "it's like a space taco! Or a space calzone, or a space-time soup dumpling and we're the soup, oh man, hey is there like a cafeteria on this thing?" he asked.

"Welcome to Blade of Marmora base Thaldycon," Ulaz said and stood up, "now if you would please release me, I need to send a message to our leader to our leader that I have come in contact with Voltron," he added.

"Fine, but Shiro you go with him," Allura said.

"Ooh! I wanna go!"

"I wanna see how they make the space pocket!"

"I'll hand back here and protect the princess,"

Allura sighed and brushed past Lance and tossed the keys to Hunk, Lance pouted but straightened up and placed his hands on his fist, "alright Hunk you free our prisoner," Lance said.

"His name is Ulaz," Keith said stepping forward as Hunk took off the cuffs, he smiled as Ulaz patted him on the head, "look at you, grew a tail even," he praised.

Keith tilted his body and let his tail swish, he grinned up at Ulaz, "I grew it a while back," he said and frowned, "if you knew it was me why did you attack me?" he asked suddenly, Ulaz's lips twitched and he flicked one of Keith's ears.

"You still need a lot of training Kit," he said and turned to Shiro and the rest of the group who were watching them, "I do apologize for any harm I have done, I did not know who you were," he said.

"None taken,"

"It's cool man,"

"I guess,"

"We should head towards the lion, Keith we'll take your lion, everyone can hitch a ride," Shiro said heading for the door, Keith nodded and headed for the hangar, they took the longer way since there was no way all five of them could take the shortcut.

The red lion lowered her head and they climbed with Keith in the seat and buckled up, they all grabbed onto the seat as Keith started up the lion and shot out of the castle.

Lance cursed and grabbed onto Hunk's arm and cried out, "how fast does your lion go!" he hissed glaring at Keith who ignored him and dove for the base.

"This is the gravity generator that creates the space-time fold that hides the station. It was created by a reclusive genius engineer named Slav, his technology allows the Blade of Marmora to remain hidden while we work to take down the Galra Empire. Zarkon would do anything to get his hands on this technology," Ulaz explained.

"So there  _are_ Galra out there that aren't loyal to Zarkon," Pidge murmured frowning. "That's what I've been telling you," Keith said.

"We though expanding the Galra Empire would bring stability but we soon realized that a tyrant does not seek stability only power but it was far too late for that," Ulaz added.

Keith lowered his lion on the platform and waited for everyone to climb out before he did him, Shiro waited for him while the other two eagerly followed Ulaz into the base.

"You okay?" Shiro asked, Keith glanced up at him confused and nodded, "why?" he asked. Shiro shrugged, "I don't know, you seem kind of out of it," he said. Keith shrugged, "I'm just a bit tired, I hadn't gotten any rest all day," he said.

Shiro frowned, "you didn't sleep ever since Pidge found you?" he asked, Keith shook his head and his ears nervously lowered, "I uh kind of was waiting for you to wake up—we all were," Keith said quickly hoping his cheeks didn't heat up.

Shiro frowned but nodded, "as flattered as I am, you need to realize that sleep is very important, you should've convinced the rest of the gang to sleep as well," he scolded. Keith frowned, this was not the reaction he was hoping for but he nodded and following a few steps after Shiro inside the base.

Hunk and Pidge were already gushing about the technology and repeatedly asking questions and Ulaz answered them as patiently as he could. Shiro's lips twitched and he walked over to them while Keith went to look out the window, it never ceased to amaze him at how beautiful space really was.

"Since we have members working on the inside, planning coordinated attacks with Voltron, we may finally have a chance," Ulaz said.

Keith blinked and quickly walked over to the rest of the group was, Hunk frowned and he looked up at Ulaz. "So, you have agents working within Zarkon's ranks?" he asked.

Ulaz lifted his head and gave Hunk a look, "how do you think you got away from Zarkon in the last fight? Do you think those shields around Zarkon's command center went down on their own? Whose ever idea that was, it was reckless and could have easily risked the agents we have in Zarkon's rank. We have Galra risking their lives in this war, just like you," Ulaz explained stiffly.

Shiro awkwardly shuffled besides Keith but didn't say anything, Pidge pipped in and Ulaz glanced down at her, "If you have people on the inside, can they tell me where my family is? They were taken the same time Shiro was," Pidge said.

"I knew others from Earth were captured, I never saw them, but I do have some records of Galra prisoners here, I can transmit that to your ship," Ulaz said turning to the control panel.

Keith blinked when he saw the sword on Ulaz's back, it was much like his own but he forgot to ask why everyone had a blade similar to Keith's.

"Your sword, where'd you get it? How does ever Marmora member have one?" Keith asked curiously.

Ulaz unsheathed his sword and held it to Keith, "it is a ceremonial blade that each member of our order carries, you have one too Keith," Ulaz said.

"I did not know it was a ceremonial blade," Keith murmured and gasped when the alarms started blaring, they all looked to the screen and to their horror they saw a Galra ship heading their way.

Ulaz turned to the group, his lips pulled back in a snarl and he stared at him with wide eyes, "you were tracked!" he growled.

"Us? No way!" Pidge cried back, Hunk's eyes narrowed, "I don't know man, there's no way we could've been trapped, you're the Galra here, it could have been you," he said.

"Now is not the time to argue and play the blame game!" Shiro hissed.

"Oh man! It's one of Zarkon's robots...beast...ro-beast!" Hunk cried, Shiro cursed and he stumbled back, "get back to the lion!" he ordered.

"Shiro wait! Here are the coordinates to the Blade of Marmora but before you go there, find out how Zarkon is tracking you, if you lead him there, our entire underground network, everything we built for centuries will be lost!"

Shiro nodded and grabbed onto the disk, he herded the rest of the group out and Keith waited for a split second before hugging Ulaz, "be safe please," he murmured.

"I'll be here when you defeat the beast," Ulaz said patting his head, Keith pulled away and with a firm nod he ran after the group, they bolted towards the lions and climbed in, Keith didn't even buckle up before he shot off.

_"I knew he couldn't be trusted!"_

"It wasn't him princess," Shiro said stiffly.

 _"How can we be sure!"_ Allura cried,  _"It doesn't matter now, first we have to decide what to do with the robot!"_ Coran shouted.

"Why can't we hide out here until it goes away," Hunk said.

"First, we need to get to our lions, don't attack yet but wait it out to see if it disappears, I don't want risk fighting it if we don't have to," Shiro explained.

Keith dropped the group off into the hangars and waited inside as the rest of the group went to their lions, they didn't launch, they just waited inside the Castle, anxiously.

 _"_ We should be safe inside the time pocket," Pidge said.

The ro-beast flew around the clusters, his eyes beeping red ever so often, suddenly his mouth opened and he started to inhale the clusters.

 _"He's taking in the Xanthorium Clusters!"_ Coran shouted, suddenly the ro-beast's eyes turned purple and he shot out a glowing purple beam from his mouth and it blew up the clusters on the front row and everyone tensed.

"I think he knows we're here,"Hunk said nervously

 _"_ Hold," Shiro said firmly.

The ro-beast moved forward and shot beam red beams out of its mouth, it flew into the space pocket and past the castle multiple times.

 _"Direct hit! He defiantly knows we're here!"_  Coran shouted.  _"Get the particle barrier up!"_ Allura shouted. The robeast started pulling in the clusters, readying himself for another attack. Shiro gritted his teeth and yelled at everyone to fly out and form Voltron.

The fight was difficult, it was frustrating and most of all it felt like everything they did, didn't harm the robeast at all.

 _"Well, there goes Ulaz,"_ Coran commented.

Keith made the mistake of glancing out the window trying to find Ulaz but the robeast shot out another attack.

"Move, move, move!" Shiro shouted.

 _If they couldn't defeat this measly monster, how are they going take down Zarkon and his empire_. In the end, it was Ulaz who saved them, he flew straight into the beast mouth and opened up a time pocket.

"NO!" Keith screamed, he watched in despair as the robeast disappeared with Ulaz still inside him, he instantly shut his eyes when the robeast combusted and kept his eyes closed until the light vanished.

There was a moment of silence and the only thing the Paladin's could hear was each other's heavy breathing.

"Let's head back," Shiro's said, his voice cracking just a tad bit. Nobody said anything but they all dispatched and flew back into the Castle and landed their lions in the hangar. Keith shoved off his helmet and tossed it against the metal wall, his breathing haggard.

Keith ignored the red lion's worried growl in his mind and pressed the heel of his palms into his eyes and let out a shuddering breath. He prayed that this was a dream, he wished he would just wake up and pretend this never happened.

Keith lifted his head and lowered his arms on his knees, Keith stood up on shaky legs and walked over to pick up his helmet, he slowly walked out of the cockpit and patted the metal muzzle of his lion before she closed her mouth and went to sleep.

Keith walked into the lounge room but there was nobody there, he suspected that they were in the showers so Keith headed over there. Steam was flowing out from the opened door, he walked in and dropped his helmet on the counter, Hunk was combing through his hair while having a towel wrapped around his waist.

"You okay?" Hunk asked, Keith shrugged and started taking off his armor. Hunk looked away and continued with his hair while glancing back at Keith ever so often.

Finally, his armor was peeled off and he stood there, naked in front of the mirror. Keith looked up and tilted his head, there was a jagged pinkish scar going around his neck, it was the time when Lotor thought choking him while having sex with him would be fun.

Keith reached up and ran his fingers along the scarred tissue, his fingers grazing down slowly towards another scar on his shoulder, this was also from Lotor.

"Are you sure?"

Keith blinked out of his gaze and looked at Hunk through the mirror, Hunk raised an eyebrow and Keith nodded giving him a tight-lipped smile.

"I-I should clean up," Keith murmured taking a step back, he turned around and headed into the nearest stall, the door clicked shut and the water turned on automatically.

Keith took the longest shower, he waited until everyone had left before stepping out of the water, his hands wrinkling up from staying in the water too long. Keith stared down at his hands and rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, it must be a human thing because the other Garla's he knew didn't have this problem.

Keith quickly pulled on his extra body suit and headed out of the showers, his hair was still wet and wetting his clothes around his shoulders. Keith paused when he saw Shiro in the viewing room, his eyes trained on the Xanthorium clusters.

Shiro's body posture was stiff, his arms were crossed and he didn't even turn around when Keith walked into the room.

"I am sorry that we could not defeat the monster. If we had trained harder than maybe Ulaz would still be alive," Keith murmured softly.

Shiro sighed but didn't turn around, "I-I still had so many questions to ask him," he said. Keith bit his lips and lowered his gaze.  _Should he tell him the truth._

"Do you really think Zarkon's tracking us?" Keith asked instead.

"We cannot know for sure," Allura said entering the room, " _only_ Ulaz knew our whereabouts," she said haughtily.

Keith felt a bolt of irritation and he opened his mouth to retort when Shiro responded back firmly.

"You can't possibly think that Ulaz betrayed us, after sacrificing his life to help us, to protect us."

Keith nodded, "Ulaz had nothing to do with Zarkon finding us, he risked his life for us! Zarkon was probably looking for the Blade of Marmora!" he cried.

Allura narrowed her eyes at the red and black paladin, "it is clear that the loss of Ulaz has caused you great concern but regardless on how Zarkon found us, we cannot stay here any longer, it is no safe," she replied.

Keith clenched his fist and he turned to Shiro, "we have to find the Blade of Marmora, we have to finish what Ulaz was starting," he said firmly.

Shiro shook his head, "No, remember what Ulaz said. We have to figure out how Zarkon is tracking us. We can't be risking the only allies we have in this war, especially if their Galra," Shiro said brushing past the two and out of the viewing room.

Keith went to follow but Allura stepped in his path with narrowed eyes, Keith lifted his chin and met her gaze. He will not back down like he used to do.

"I said I trusted you but now I'm doubting it," she said firmly.

Keith's lips twitched and his own eyes narrowed, "keep doubting, I do not care what you think. I only know that the Lion chose  _me_ as her paladin. If the red lion and the rest of the team trust me then that should be no problem," he snapped.

Allura jaw ticked but she moved out of the way and let Keith pass, her eyes trailing after him with a suspicious glare.

Keith jogged after Shiro and kept a pace behind him, "a-are you going to get some rest?" he asked curiously. Shiro shook his head and turned the corner, "I'm heading towards Pidge, Ulaz said he transferred some of his data towards her, I'll see what she has," he answered.

Keith nodded and kept up with Shiro's fast pace, they found Pidge tapping away on his laptop with a determined look and a frown.

"Did you locate your brother?" Shiro asked, Pidge shook her head and leaned back into her seat, "can't find anything," she murmured. Shiro's gaze softened and he ruffled her hair affectionately. Keith tilted his head and watched the exchange if there was one person in this castle that could calm Shiro done, it was Pidge.

Pidge wrinkled her nose but didn't stop Shiro from ruffling her already wild hair. Shiro smiled and he leaned over Pidge's chair and stared at the screen.

Keith awkwardly stood in front of them while they exchanged small conversations, a few laughs, and affectionate banter. Keith licked his lips and stepped back, "I-I am not feeling well. I think I will go and rest," he said.

"Alright," Shiro said his gaze never leaving the screen, Keith swallowed and nodded, he turned around swiftly and strode off, even if they were close as a team, Keith would always be an outsider.

* * *

 

That night, Keith lay awake, his head still pounding from the battle and Altean medicine really didn't help as much as he hoped but it was better than nothing. Keith tilted his head to the side and stretched his sore body against the cold sheets and sighed.

In all honesty, he hadn't expected Ulaz to die—give his life so fast, he was still in shock and he refused to admit Ulaz's death but everyone accepted his death even Shiro but Shiro was more upset than the others maybe even more than Keith himself.

Keith sat up slowly and shivered as the bedsheet fell around his hips, the cold castle air crept on him and little goosebumps erupted all over his exposed skin. Keith slipped on his lion slippers rather than putting on his boots and shuffled out the door, he decided against the red robe and would rather die than be caught wearing it.

It was dead silent in the hallways, the offset of neon blue lights lite up the hallways and Keith decided that maybe a midnight snack would help him fall asleep better. However, he hadn't expected Shiro in the kitchen at this time.

They both stared at each other in shock and finally Shiro cleared his throat and looked away. "Sorry, I hadn't expected you down here," he said softly. Keith shrugged and lowered his gaze as well, "I had not either," he confessed.

It wasn't exactly an awkward silence but it wasn't comfortable either. Keith noticed that Shiro was holding a bowl full of heated left-over's Hunk made this afternoon.

"Can't sleep?" Keith asked looking up at Shiro but still he wouldn't meet his gaze, Keith raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat when Shiro didn't answer.

"Huh? Oh yeah, can't sleep," Shiro said, Keith nodded and his lips twitched into a half smile and he stepped to the side so Shiro could pass through, Keith stepped into the kitchen and pulled out a water pouch from the cabinets. Even though Keith was hungry, he couldn't fathom Coran's space goo.

"Were you going to eat?" Shiro asked settling himself down on the table, Keith shook his head but his stomach growled, Shiro smirked and jerked his head at the empty seat beside him. "I can't possibly finish all of this, might as well help me out," Shiro said.

Keith bit his lip but grabbed another water pouch and sat down beside Shiro, he handed the pouch to Shiro who thanked him and sat it down beside the warm bowl.

Shiro held out a fork which Keith took hesitantly and poked at the purple square of meat while Shiro stabbed at a large yellow chopped vegetable.

"Ulaz meant a lot to you," Shiro stated picking at Keith's fallen meat cube and popped it in his mouth, Keith lowered his gaze and nodded.

"I still don't believe he is actually dead. Like you there were so many questions I wanted to ask. Without him, I would still be stuck on that wretched ship, still under Lotor's control and scared of every single little thing," Keith murmured.

Shiro laughed softly, "I would've been stuck on that ship as well if it wasn't for Ulaz, I owe him my life and now he's gone," Shiro added leaning forward with his elbows on the table.

"I wanted to stay with him when the war ended but now I'm not so sure if this war will end," Keith said softly.

"The war will end," Shiro said firmly turning his head to Keith, the small Galra scoffed and crossed his arms stiffly.

"How can five pilots who haven't fully unlocked the full powers of their lions defeat Zarkon who's been ruling the universe for ten thousand years," Keith said turning to Shiro, he inhaled a sharp breath when he saw the intense look in Shiro's eyes.

"We will and I can promise you that," Shiro said.

"How? How can you make such a feeble promise knowing that it may not come true," Keith whispered, Shiro leaned in and Keith held his breath, they were inches apart and Keith could feel his warm breath fanning against his lips.

"Because I'm a fighter and so are you, so are the rest of us and there are thousands of enslaved planets who are counting on us to free them and give them hope to fight back against the Galra. Because if we don't have hope in ourselves then everything is lost and most of all, I wanna go back home, I wanna see my parents face, my siblings, I want to see them again before it's too late. I'm the Champion remember, nothing stands in my way," Shiro said firmly.

Keith's eyes widened and his heart stopped.  _Champion? He remembered, when did he remember!_

"Y-You rem-rem—"

"—Well that's what the alien's called me when Pidge and I freed them," Shiro said cutting Keith off. Keith blinked and he lips pulled into a thin line, Shiro noticed his expression and he furrowed his brows.

"You weren't there but Pidge and I freed a whole of alien prisoner's in a Galra battle cruiser, they called me the savior. Apparently, I was a gladiator and I won so many battles that they started calling me the Champion," Shiro explained then tilted his head, "I was sure you would know that term, weren't you in a Galra cruiser?" he asked.

"I was...but my duty was not to pay attention to the battles but to my master," Keith said stiffly. Shiro noticed the moment Keith tensed up and he quickly changed the subject.

"You know, when I remembered how I escaped and I remembered it was Ulaz, I felt relieved but there was something missing, like a vital information and sometimes it feels like I lost an important memory but then other times I feel like my head's so scrambled that I can't think straight," Shiro confessed.

Keith lowered his gaze, the guilt building inside him was not a good feeling and as much as he wanted to tell Shiro the truth, he couldn't, he felt as though it showed him another light. Kilit the scared and feeble Galra who had no mind of his own and did everything that Lotor said, he couldn't even properly protect Shiro or even help him escape.

"I'm sorry," Keith murmured, Shiro shook his head and dropped his hand on Keith's shoulder. "You have nothing to be sorry for, although you need to have more confidence in yourself," Shiro said lifting off his hand, Keith could still feel the imprint of Shiro's hand through the thin fabric of his shirt and it had Keith aching for more.

"There's only one thing I need from you and that is hope," Shiro said. Keith blinked up at him confused and Shiro winked at him.

"You're my right-hand man and in that position, you need to have confidence, leadership skills, and hope. I need someone to have my back all the time, especially in times of need," Shiro said, "Can you do that for me?" he asked.

Keith nodded then again more confidentially, Shiro's eyes twinkled and his grin sent Keith's heart in a flutter. "Good, cause between you and me, there are times that I lose hope as well and I'm going to need you to help me back up," he said in all seriousness.

"I can do that, you have already done so much for me—and the team, the team also have done so much," Keith said. Shiro huffed a laugh and he leaned his head against his hand that was leaning on the table.

"I know, that's why I'm glad you're the red paladin," he said softly. Keith's eyes widened and he his tail curled delightfully. Shiro's smile widened and he made a gesture towards his cheeks with his fingers.

"Your cheeks turned a dark purple, are you blushing?" Shiro asked softly almost fondly, Keith quickly cupped his cheeks and sure enough, they were heated, "I-uh I'm just embarrassed, it's the first time besides Ulaz who actually needed me," he said quickly defending his cheeks.

"Great, now all you two are candles and chocolates,"

They both snapped their attention over towards the door where Lance was leaning against the wall with a wicked grin, he waggled his eyes and winked in their direction. Keith heard Shiro curse lowly in his breath if he remembered correctly that it was the same curse Shiro scolded Pidge for using the other day.

"What're you doing up this late?" Shiro demanding standing up, Keith stood up and well. Lance pursed his lips and shrugged before sauntering their way, he leaned in close and peered at them with a grin.

"What're you  _two_ doing up this late?" he asked, Keith frowned and took a step back from Lance's weird stare, "I could not sleep and neither could Shiro so we decided to eat," Keith explained.

"Uh-Huh,  _riiight_. Sleeping, got it," Lance said stepping back and Keith could breathe a sigh of relief and sat down but Shiro didn't, he kept his gaze on Lance who circled around the table and sat down across from and folded his arms behind his head.

"Are you going to go?" Shiro asked stiffly, Lance snorted and dismissively waved his hands at them, "Nah man. I'm kind of hungry too," he said and his eyes sparkled when he saw the leftovers in front of them.

"Lance," Shiro warned in a low tone but Lance ignored him and reached for the bowl but Shiro quickly snatched it away, he wasn't even fazed by Lance's pouty lips and quivering eyes, "aww come on! I'm hungry!" he whined.

"Keith was hungry and you know he can't get full just by Coran's space goo," Shiro said dropping the bowl in front Shiro.

"You can't play favorites now!" Lance cried glaring at Shiro, Keith looked between them and he slowly slid the bowl towards the middle.

"You could have it because I think I'm done for the night," Keith said standing back up, Lance grinned and he quickly pulled the bowl towards him and popped a square piece of meat in his mouth and snuggled in the chair happily.

Shiro sighed and took a few steps back from the table, "I should get going now, it's getting late and Lance head straight to sleep right after eating," Shiro ordered, Lance gave him a mock salute.

Keith followed Shiro out when it dawned upon him, "what was Lance talking about before?" he asked curiously.

Shiro shrugged, "'bout what?" he asked stretching his arms above his head and plopping them back down with a satisfied grunt.

"About chocolates and candles?"

Shiro stumbled and Keith quickly caught his arm before he face planted on the floor and probably ended up with a bloody nose. Shiro stumbled back against Keith with a surprised laugh, "I didn't know you were that strong," he said and cleared his throat when Keith looked at him expectedly.

"Ignore Lance, it was an insult," Shiro said coughing feel his cheeks heat up, Keith's left eye twitched and he glared over his shoulder where the dining hall was. "Should I go confront him?" Keith asked with narrowed eyes.

Shiro quickly shook his head, "Uh no that's okay, you don't have to do that," he said and licked his lips, Keith still had a tight grasp on his arm and Shiro could feel the claws softly poking against his skin. Keith's hand was surprisingly very warm considering how cold it was in the castle.

"Are you sure?" Keith asked turning his attention up at Shiro with a glare, Shiro nodded and wiggled his arm a little bit to show that Keith was still holding onto him, Keith's eyes widened and he quickly pulled his hands away and tucked them behind his back.

"I did not realize it," Keith said quickly.

"It's cool, uh how strong are you exactly?" Shiro asked changing the subject, Keith tilted his head for a second to think then quickly went behind Shiro and tightly wrapped his arms around Shiro's waist, his arms trapped under Keith's arms.

"Uh..." Shiro started but yelped in surprise when Keith lifted him up, his legs dangling in mid-air, Shiro gapped and he wiggled his toes a bit and sure enough he couldn't feel the ground beneath them.

"Do-Do I weight anything to you?" he gasped out.

Shiro could feel Keith shake his head and replied back instantly, "It is like holding a couple  _Buriez-ans,"_ he answered.

"What the fuck is going on?"

Keith turned around with Shiro still in his arms and nodded at Hunk and Pidge who were staring at them in shock, "I am holding Shiro," he stated.

"I can see that!" Hunk hissed his eyes going even wider as he stared at the duo in front of him.

"I think you can put me down now," Shiro squeaked, Keith gently placed Shiro back on his feet and stepped away.

"So—in other news, we find out that Keith has like super strength," Pidge said pushing up his glasses, Shiro patted his warmed cheeks and glared at the two. "What're you two doing up so late?" he demanded.

"Thirsty and I was scared so I woke up Pidge," Hunk replied shrugging his shoulders, Shiro sighed and pointed at the two.

"After having a drink, I need you two to get in bed immediately, Lance is awake as well and please don't fool around cause getting your rest is really important," Shiro said firmly, Keith nodded and narrowed his eyes at the two.

" _Okay_ " Pidge muttered brushing between them with a glare, Hunk easily brushed past them with an apologetic excuse me, uh m'bad," and shuffled after Pidge.

"I should get some sleep as well," Keith said yawning feeling suddenly tired and sleepily. Shiro nodded and winced when a loud clang came from the kitchen and echoed through the halls.

"You go, I can tell you're tired. I'll see what happened," Shiro said giving Keith a gentle push towards his room, Keith smiled at him sleepily and shuffled back to his room while Shiro went to check what the three idiots had done.

Keith could hear faint scolding from Shiro and it slowly faded away as he reached his room, Keith kicked off his slippers and face planted on his cold bed, shivering he cocooned himself in the blankets and pressed against the wall and dozed off in a warm sleep.

* * *

 

The past few days were sort of numbing for Keith, even though Shiro and Keith had a heart to heart, Keith still felt at lost whenever he thought of Ulaz.

"No, can do Cadet," Coran said, Keith frowned and opened his mouth to ask why when Coran held up his hand.

"If I send this castle straight back to the Xanthorium crystals, it would put a huge dent on our journey, a lot of time would be wasted," Coran said.

Keith sighed and shuffled his feet, "what-what if it was just me. The red lion's the fastest so I'll just do a quick round and I'll come straight back to the castle," he said quickly.

"Nice try but Allura would have my head, besides your lion maybe fast but the place of Ulaz's death was in a whole different galaxy," Coran said.

Keith lowered his ears and Coran patted his head gently, "I understand that Ulaz was close to you and how much he meant but the only thing we can do is honor his death and defeat Zarkon, we can't let his sacrifice go in vain," Coran said softly.

"I understand," Keith murmured, he stepped back from Coran and headed out of the room. Keith sighed and headed for his room.

It appears everyone was busy with their own things and Keith was again alone. Shiro was with Pidge analyzing the data that Ulaz transferred only asking Keith to tag along so they could translate the Galra words but he was not needed after Pidge installed a translator onto her computer.

Hunk was with Lance or the Princess most of the time, Lance was either with Coran or Hunk. One time Keith came across Lance and Hunk in the kitchen fiddling with the foods, Keith confidently asked if he could join but Lance shut him down without a single thought.

"Sorry buddy, it's a Hunk and Lance type of thing, I mean it's kind of our tradition you could say so uh—next time though, I promise!" Lance said quickly.

With a fake smile, Keith was out of the kitchen and into the training deck but how many times can you train alone, it was comforting at first but there was no one to help him or give advice on his fighting styles so he stopped going there after a while.

Keith aimlessly walked around the castle but even that got boring, he explored all he could within those days and even the mice got tired of hanging out with Keith all the time. So, Keith ended up lounging in the viewing room, pressed against the couch, he tapped on the keyboard and pulled up many human things he could gaze upon.

Currently, he was watching a clip of some animals that lived in the rivers, he was very entranced with the show that he didn't realize that Shiro had walked in and was sitting down beside him with an amused expression.

"Need some company?" Shiro asked.

Keith jumped and he turned to his right, he saw Shiro giving him an amused expression and his own lips twitched, "You scared me," he said. Shiro leaned back against the couch and licked his lips, "My bad, I just assumed with your acute senses you must've heard me coming," he said. Keith's ears twitched and his tail curled around his waist. "I must have been too distracted," he explained.

Shiro nodded and he looked over towards the screen, it was a grainy footage of an alligator swimming under the murky green water, the quality of the video looked like it was shot in the nineties.

"So, why are you sitting alone?" Shiro asked curiously, Keith shrugged and pulled a pillow into his lap, "everyone seemed busy and I really don't know how to contribute to the team yet, I may be your right-hand man but my social skills are a bit rusty," he said truthfully, even know he could feel his hands turn clammy and his tail curled tighter around his waist nervously.

Shiro's gaze softened and he nodded, "Next time just inform me, I don't mind hanging out with you and I'm sure the others don't either," Shiro said and smiled when he saw the tension leave Keith visibly and he relaxed against the couch.

"We're a team remember," Shiro said bumping his shoulder against Keith's, "we don't know how long we'll be stuck together, if you ever get nervous or feel alone, don't hesitate to come to me, okay?"

Keith nodded and his tail curled away from his waist and laid off the couch, Shiro cleared his throat and scooted a bit closer, an inch apart and Keith could feel the Shiro's body heat radiating off of him, the sudden

"What's your favorite earth animal so far?" Shiro asked nodding over towards the screen, Keith perked up and he quickly tapped on the keyboard, Shiro watched curiously and his curious turned into shock.

Shiro laughed as he saw tons of tiny little gray hippos flopping all over the water on the screen, "I never expected you to like Hippos," Shiro grinning.

"What'd you expect?" Keith asked.

Shiro pursed his lips and shrugged, "not sure but I assumed a tiger or lion," Shiro said. Keith shrugged, "they are rather cute but I like the hippos more, they do not look dangerous but they actually are, it is the perfect disguise," Keith said, "what is your favorite animal?" Keith asked.

Shiro shrugged, "I never thought of it but I kind of like cats," he said peeking a glance at Keith, they shared a smile and looked away just as quickly.

Shiro could feel his own heart pound and he side-eyed Keith once more while his attention was on the floppy baby hippos on the screen. Shiro never noticed it but Keith was very attractive, his skin was a rich purple, not as light as Ulaz's but not as dark as the other Galra's he's seen before, normally it looked like Keith had solid yellow eyes but if you got close enough, you'd notice that his sclera paler yellow than his actual pupils. Sometimes when Keith grinned, his fangs poked at his bottom lip and it was oddly cute.

"Shiro?"

Shiro blinked and he flushed when he realized that Keith had leaned in close with a frown, he gazed worriedly at Shiro, "you dazed off, are you alright?" he asked. Shiro cleared his throat and nodded.

"Yeah sorry," Shiro murmured, Keith leaned back and his frowned stayed, he lifted his hand cautiously, "you're heated. Do you have a fever?" he asked, mindful of his claws, Keith placed the pad of his finger's against Shiro's heated cheeks.

Shiro sucked in a breath and his cheeks darkened, "I-uh-I'm fine," Shiro said quickly. Keith slid his fingers up Shiro's heated cheeks and towards his forehead.

"You are working too hard, you need rest," Keith murmured lowering his hand, Shiro nodded quickly and cleared his throat.

"You're right, I should go rest," Shiro said standing up abruptly, Keith's watched in worry as Shiro quickly left the room.

Keith sighed and leaned back into his seat and turned his gaze back to the hippos. He needs to have a talk with Pidge about rest too, it's not right for everyone to be overworking themselves.

* * *

 

Quintents passed and Pidge unlocked a new weapon for her lion when they helped the Olkari take back their planet. It was a tough battle and it exhausted everyone, but it was worth it when they saw the Olkari happily taking back their land, they were finally at peace after many years of enslavement from the Galra.

King Lubos was under imprisonment, Keith had threatened him enough that he started crying and begged for forgiveness, Shiro had to physically pick up Keith from the underground jail cell and drag him up to the surface.

"I think he understands to never to turn his back on his people," Shiro said softly putting Keith back down on his two feet, Keith harrumphed and stormed off angrily.

Then the chase happened, after the Olkari situation, Zarkon had appeared out of nowhere every single time, it was exhausting and they barely had enough time to rest after their last battle.

"Do you still think it was Ulaz!?" Shiro shouted through the comms while dodging a blast from the Galra ship.

 _"Shut up and distract the ship!"_ Allura shouted back.

The scultrite lenses were damaged after doing so many wormhole jumps, it had taken all five of them to physically hold up the lenses before they could do a correct long jump.

"I don't think we'll be able to do wormhole jumps anymore until the lenses are replaced," Coran said.

"How is he tracking us?"

"It's me, I'm the one Zarkon's tracking," Allura breathed in shock, everyone turned to her but Keith interjected. "I-I do not think it is you princess, it's me," he said awkwardly.

"You?" Lance asked curiously, Keith pursed his lips and awkwardly nodded, "I-I think it's because I'm Galra and—and I fought him that one time, he must've imprinted on me or something," he said.

"Look, that fact is that we don't know how Zarkon's tracking us and it could easily be through the black lion, that could also be a factor," Pidge said firmly, "plus Shiro  _always_ has to fight for control," she added.

"That's only on short ranges, no paladin could connect with a lion through a vast range," Coran said.

"What'd we do know?" Hunk asked worriedly.

"It doesn't matter because we're taking the fight to the Galra, the Galra are chasing us through every galaxy, the last thing they'll expect is for us to come to them," Shiro said.

"The hunter becomes the hunted huh, awesome, that's like a tagline from all of my favorite movies," Lance said grinning, Keith gave him a confused side glare and shook his head.

Pidge then started rambling while clicking away on her computer, everyone watched her, half curious and half confused. Suddenly the map of the sky was broadcasted in the room and Lance grinned, "Cool, what was this again?" he asked still smiling.

"A Galra-finder?" Hunk murmured squinting at the map, Pidge rolled her eyes and stated that it wasn't just a 'Galra-finder' but it technically was.

"That's where we're heading, everyone get some rest," Shiro ordered glaring at the red dot on the screen.

Keith stayed behind, he wanted to come clean to Shiro, it would put his mind to ease along with Shiro's but when Shiro walked up to him with a worried expression, Keith backed down like a coward and muttered about 'being tired' and 'getting some sleep,'

Later that night, Keith packed all his belongings in a back and scurried off towards the pods before anyone saw him, he sighed in relief when the door hissed shut behind him. Keith decided that if Zarkon was tracking him then it would be better to leave the group instead of staying, it would be safer and better, finding another paladin shouldn't be that hard.

Keith paused when he saw Allura climbing up on the Pod that Pidge installed the rocket boosters. "What are you doing?" he asked curiously, he didn't suspect for Allura to let out a tiny shocked gasp and fall uncharacteristically into his arms.

Keith frowned when Allura flushed deeply and jump out of his arms, she cleared her throat shifted on her feet, her eyes narrowed at Keith's sack.

"What're  _you_  doing?" she asked,

Keith lowered his gaze, "nothing—walking—near the pods—at night," he said awkwardly, Allura pursed her lips and Keith sighed, "I—I wanted to know if Zarkon was following me, don't try to stop me princess," he said.

"I'm not going to stop you, I'm going to join you,"

* * *

It was a disaster.

Shiro and the group found out about their little run-away scheme and ordered them to come back but Keith turned off the comms shutting off their shouting.

In the end, it wasn't them that Zarkon was tracking and by the sounds of their panicked voice, they needed help fast, the planet was about to explode and douse everyone in acid if they didn't help the natives fast enough to escape.

The pod blew up.

Keith gritted his teeth and shut his eyes.

_Come on, I need your help, find me, please._

"Keith, look!"

Keith opened his eyes and he let out a relieved laugh when he saw the red lion zooming towards him, the soft gentle purr at the back of his head was almost like she was comforting him. Keith got the princess safely back into the castle and helped the team with their native's broken ship, they managed to save with ticks after the whole planet just turned into an acid wasteland.

Keith and Allura learned their lesson, it was reckless and impulsive.

"At least we learned that Zarkon's not tracking either of you two," Lance said tilting his head, "Plus, we learned that my Lion can extend his claws like  _ting!"_  Hunk cried grinning.

"The fact at the red lion came to rescue Keith from so far away is a vital information. We now have proof that a paladin and their lion can connect through a greater distance than we realized. Which means we finally know how Zarkon is tracking us—It's through the black lion," Shiro said.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Keith asked walking up behind Shiro, they were in the viewing room and it was Shiro who was looking out at the stars, Shiro exhaled slowly and nodded. "Fine, I'm perfectly fine," he murmured.

Keith frowned and walked around the couch to sit down beside Shiro, he folded his legs underneath him and faced Shiro, "I understand that you are hurt, I mean how can the black lion still have a strong connection to Zarkon after he betrayed Voltron—"

"—Keith, I'm fine," Shiro said sharply, Keith frowned and bit his lip, "I-I was just saying that—'

"—I just wanna be alone, is that alright," Shiro said.

Keith looked away, he clenched his fist and ignored the stinging from his claws, Keith nodded and slowly got up from the couch, he hesitated for a second but thought better of it and headed for the door.

Keith paused when he reached the door and glanced over his shoulder at Shiro, the black paladin was deep in thought, arms tightly crossed against his chest, feet nervously tapping against the floor, his jaw was clenched and his eyes were furrowed.

"If you aren't alright and you want to talk then I will be happy to listen," Keith called, Shiro blinked and glanced over at Keith.

Keith gave him a reassuring smile and walked out of the room, he met up with Lance and Hunk who were heading towards the kitchen with Pidge trailing behind them, she was glaring on a small orange device.

"Keith! Hey, wanna help us out in the kitchen, Hunk's trying out a new recipe," Lance said grinning at him.

Keith nodded eagerly and followed them into the kitchen, he blinked over his shoulder at Pidge and slowed his pace to get into step beside her.

"What's that?" he asked curiously, Pidge shrugged and held the device up, "I made it the first night I stayed in the Castle, I couldn't sleep. So, with a few of earth devices I had in my backpack and along with the junk Coran showed me in the storage, I created my very first space phone. It takes pictures, videos, tells time,  _and_ I can contact Allura or Coran with this, it sends a message into the control room and they send a reply back," she said proudly holding out the phone.

"This is amazing," Keith murmured grabbing the slim orange device, it felt really light in his hands and the glass felt like it could break if he put the slightest bit of pressure.

"Wanna take a photo?" Pidge asked, Keith looked down at her curiously and she took the phone back from Keith and held it out.

"Get down, you're too tall," she ordered, Keith frowned but lowered his knees so they were face to face and he watched as Pidge held up two fingers and smiled. Keith copied and grinned at the phone.

There was a sound of a shutter and Pidge eagerly pulled up on the picture as Keith straightened up, he peeked curiously on the screen, his surprised showed when Pidge held up the phone. Keith giddily smiled when he saw his photo.

"You look good," Pidge said, Keith nodded and he felt his whole mood lighten. Keith bit his lip and he looked past Pidge and down the hall.

"Do you think Shiro would feel better if we took a photo of him?" Keith asked, Pidge shook her head and patted his arm sympathetically.

"I know from my brother that Shiro gets stressed pretty fast but he'll get over it, just let him calm down and I'm sure he'll be back to normal," Pidge explained.

"Hey! Slowpokes! Hurry up!" Lance shouted.

* * *

"Shiro! Nice of you to see you here!" Hunk said grinning when Shiro appeared in the kitchen with a sheepish smile, his eyes locked onto Keith's and everyone around them sighed before shuffling with their own things as Shiro walked over to Keith.

"Can we talk?" Shiro, Keith looked over at Pidge and she gave him a thumbs up and discreetly added more sweet cubes into the bowl when Hunk wasn't looking.

Keith put down the bowl and wiped his hands on the towel, he looked up at Shiro and nodded. Shiro nodded and stepped to the side to let Keith walk past them.

They walked back to the viewing room and Shiro sat down, he patted down the spot next to him and smiled encouragingly at Keith.

Keith plopped down beside Shiro but didn't look at him, they sat there in a comforting silence before Shiro broke it.

"I wanna apologize, I was being kind of rude and I shouldn't have cut you off," Shiro said.

"I only wanted to help," Keith murmured. "I understand that now," Shiro said. Keith relaxed into his seat and he squinted at Shiro who was watching him. "You cannot keep things to yourself, it is not healthy," Keith said firmly.

Shiro raised an eyebrow and tilted to the side so he was facing Keith, "says the person who ran off with Allura without telling us, also says the person who kept it secret that there were more Galra who were fighting against Zarkon," Shiro said raising his chin.

Keith spluttered and he glared at his feet but felt a smile itch on his cheeks as Shiro laughed and nudged him with his foot.

"Kidding but yeah I understand what you're trying to say," Shiro said grinning, Keith felt his cheeks heat at the smile but nudged Shiro back with his own foot. Then it became a playful battle of who would hit last.

"Can you two idiots stop playing footsie and help us with dinner," Lance drawled from the doorway.

Keith released Shiro's feet that were trapped under his and glared over at Lance, "we were having a serious conversation," he stated.

Lance snorted and waved at them, "just hurry up and finish whatever  _serious_ conversation you were having mullet," he said.

Keith huffed and ran his fingers through his hair, Shiro shook his head and gently tugged at Keith's front bangs. "Ignore Lance, I like your hair," he said and stood up, he held out his hand for Keith to take and smiled.

"We should see what's going on in the kitchen," he said, Keith stared at the hand, he placed his in Shiro's hand and gasped when Shiro pulled him up and stumbled right into him.

"Woah hey, I forgot that you're light for someone so strong," Shiro said laughing steading Keith by his shoulder, Keith wrinkled his nose and gently pulled away from Shiro's grasp.

"I am not light," Keith argued but Shiro snorted and brushed past him and out the door, Keith pursed his lips and jogged to follow him. "I am not light!" he argued but Shiro ruffled his hair, "yeah sure," he said winking at him and entering the kitchen.

Keith huffed but didn't push the subject further, just as he entered the kitchen Hunk had shoved a bowl at each of them.

"What are we making exactly?" Keith asked peering inside the bowl, Hunk had a larger bowl on the counter in front of him. "Muffin, or space muffins to be exact," Hunk explained picking up a root and started thinly slicing them before dropping them in the bowl.

"Muffins?" Keith asked.

"Oh ya, it's like bread," Lance explained, Hunk made an offended sound and he quickly explained the wonders of muffins and how they weren't like bread.

"I still do not understand but I would love to try them," Keith said smiling, Shiro bumped into him and Keith grunted.

"M'bad," Shiro said grinning, Keith squinted at him and went over to Pidge who was struggling with her own bowl. Keith started mixing his bowl with a spoon while glancing over at Pidge, somehow her bowl didn't turn out purple like Hunk's but it was more of a greenish brown color, the color of muddy grass.

"Is it supposed to be that color?" Keith asked glancing at his own bowl, it looked just like Hunk's but most of the liquid had spilled everywhere, he must've mixed it too hard. Pidge glared at him, "shut up big ears," she muttered and shuffled away.

Keith gapped at and Shiro bumped his hips into Keith's, "nevermind her, she's just upset cause she can't cook for shit," he explained. Keith peeked into his Shiro's bowl but Shiro pulled it away last second.

"Let me have a look," Keith demanded with a frown going for the bowl but Shiro moved it to the other side, "Shiro," Keith started, he huffed when Shiro pulled the bowl above his head.

"What is wrong with you, let me take a glance," Keith demanded, Shiro grinned and shook his head. Keith narrowed his eyes and he put down his bowl before taking a step closer to Shiro.

"Uh guys, I don't think it's safe to argue in a kitchen with three other people, I mean can you stop acting immature and let Keith see the bowl or Keith can you just let it go," Hunk called nervously.

Keith narrowed his eyes and he took a step closer, the stupid smug grin was still on Shiro's face and he wanted nothing more to wipe it down.

"Guys come on, can we have one day without acting like we're in a war zone!" Hunk called and did a double take when he saw Lance and Pidge put down money on the counter. "Are you two betting!" he cried.

Pidge shrugged and dropped two coins on the table beside Lance's coins. "Where did you two get money from anyways?" Hunk demanded with narrowed eyes, Pidge smirked and cocked her hips, "we both swiped a few coins from Coran's wallet," she stated.

"Keith's loosing," Lance stated, Pidge looked over and frowned. Keith was in fact getting tired of jumping up and down trying to reach the bowl, he paused and inhaled sharply but hopped up higher again.

"What is up with you guys," Hunk whispered shaking his head, they paused when they heard a bowl clatter to the floor and snapped their heads up, they winced at the scene in front of them. Shiro's bowl had tilted and splattered all of his batter over his head, the purplish-black goo was dripping down his hair, the sides of his cheeks and plopping a large dollop on his nose.

Keith took a few steps back and covered his mouth, his eyes crinkled and everyone noticed that he was trying not to laugh. Shiro reached up slowly and grabbed a whole bunch of batter in his hands and pressed his hand against Keith's cheek as he tried to apologize.

Keith gasped and shut his eyes as Shiro lathered the batter all over Keith's fluffy ear and his cheek, Keith's eyes widened when Shiro stepped back with a satisfied smirk. Lance snickered and grabbed a spoon full of Pidge's batter and flung it over in their direction.

"Food fight!" He shouted as the batter smacked Keith on the other side of his face, Keith gasped and glared at Lance but Shiro was already one step ahead and flung some of Keith's batter in their direction, Lance dodged and Pidge got it.

"Oh, it's one," Pidge hissed narrowing her eyes.

Hunk whined as the two teams flung batter at each other, "come on guys, I just wanted space muffins," he whined and yelped when Lance flung batter on his face.

Hunk quickly grabbed the goo nozzle and yanked it out before dousing everyone with Coran's famous space goo. "Test me again one more time!" he shouted glaring at all four of them. Keith lowered the spoon full of batter and let it plop to the floor.

Shiro and Keith glanced at each other and they peeked at Lance and Pidge who were currently covered in more batter then they were. Shiro's lips twitched and he coughed back a laugh, Keith glanced over at him and bit back his own laugh.

"It's not funny!" Hunk hissed when Lance let out a small laugh escape, he quickly shut up and lowered his head like a small child being scolded by his mother.

"These ingredients are hard to come by and I really wanted a nice bonding time with space muffins," Hunk scolded.

"We're sorry Hunk, we'll clean it up right away," Shiro said, Hunk sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "It's fine I guess," he murmured.

"Keith and Shiro can clean up while Pidge and I'll get more ingredients and help you make the muffins," Lance pipped in.

"Why should Shiro and I clean up, was it not you who started the fight?" Keith said glaring at him, Lance smirked and twirled his spoon between his fingers, " _au contraire mon frère_ , it was you two who were fighting over the bowl," he said.

Keith gave him a confused look and Shiro sighed placing a hand on Keith's shoulder, "Lance's right, Keith and I will take care of cleaning up the kitchen," he said, "the rest of you head to the showers," he added.

Keith watched them carefully step out of the kitchen without slipping on the batter. Keith looked around the messy kitchen and frowned, "where do we start?" he asked. Shiro moved away from Keith and moved towards the far-off door and dug inside for rags and a mop when he found a small device.

Keith walked over and watched as Shiro poked at the small device, it was small, white, and square with rounded sides, Keith poked at the small button on the front of the square and all the sides light up an iridescent blue like the castle lights and it beeped once before it started hovering.

Shiro and Keith moved out of the way and watched as the robot hovered out of the door and it started beeping faster, the robot flew around the room and it flew over towards them and stopped in front of Shiro's face and beeped loudly.

"Uh..."

"Is it a robot for cleaning?" Keith wondered, the robot beeped and flew down towards Keith, it beeped again.

"Clean the kitchen?" Keith asked, the lights glowed a bright green and the robot flew away from them and started literally cleaning up the mess, the top popped open and a device with a suction sucked up all the batter and another came out and to wipe the clean counters.

They watched in awe as the small robot clean up the kitchen less than a dobash, it beeped once and flew past them and back into the closet and turned off.

"That was easy," Keith murmured, "I know," Shiro added and looked down at their clothes, "we should clean ourselves as well," he said. Keith looked over and smiled, "I suppose we should," he said.

Shiro felt his cheeks heat up and his heart skipped a bit at Keith's smile, it was rare for Keith to smile but when he did, it felt like everything was going to okay and it was the most radiant smile Shiro ever saw, even though he was being a bit biased but truthfully it was a wonderful smile.

The showers didn't take too long and Shiro a had a rough keeping his gaze to himself but every so often, it would land on Keith's back, his skin looked soft and even though he had a thing pink scars littering his back, he was still just as beautiful.

Keith glanced at him and Shiro quickly lowered his gaze and slipped on his belt, Keith looked away and pulled over his bodysuit and reached behind him to zip up his suit. Keith turned around to grab his boots from the counter and leaned against the counter to slip them on.

"What're you going to do?" Keith asked, Shiro glanced over at him confused, he stopped fiddling with his fanny pack.

"With the lion," Keith explained, Shiro blew out a breath, "I'm not sure, I guess I'll have to do what Allura used to, have private times with my lion so we could bond without anyone disturbing us," he said.

Keith walked over to him and tilted his head, "I'm sure you two will bond, I mean she chose you for a reason, right?" he said, Shiro smiled and ran his fingers through his fringe nervously. "Thanks Keith," he said softly, "it means a lot," he added.

Keith shrugged, "I need to have your back right? I will always be there, so try not to worry too much," he said.

Shiro smiled and he quickly reached out and ruffled Keith's hair, "Thanks," he said and licked his lips, "It's getting close to dinner time, we should hurry before Hunk and Coran make a huge deal," he said.

Keith nodded and followed Shiro out, their steps syncing together, shy smiles were exchanged until it was broken with Pidge skidding down the hall in front of them. They both stopped to stare at her as she glared at them.

Suddenly she pulled something out of her pocket and flung it at them before running off, Keith blinked and ran his fingers through his hair, sharp little object was caught in his hair and he pulled them out.

 _"Pidge!"_ Shiro shouted but Pidge had already disappeared, Keith looked down at his hands confused and noticed shiny little pink colored hearts laid on his hand, there weren't just on his hand, but also his clothes and on the floor. Keith looked over at Shiro and to his surprise, there were all over him as well and his cheeks were the same color as the hearts.

"Keith, uh I can explain—"

"—Does this mean Pidge likes me?" Keith asked curiously, Shiro paused and he blinked once then twice before laughing softly, he nodded and Keith smiled and he brought one of the hearts close to his face and he turned to Shiro.

"She must like you too, Hunk told me that you give hearts to people that you like," Keith explained.

Shiro scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and nodded, "Hunk's been teaching you a lot of human stuff, hasn't he?" he asked, Keith nodded and he reached up to run his fingers through Shiro's white fringe, it had four or five little hearts stuck in them.

"You had some..." Keith trailed off when his fingers grazed at the cut that ran across Shiro's nose, Keith heard Shiro suck in his breath as the pads of his fingers ran over the scared skin. "It never surprises me what the Galra did," he murmured glancing up at Shiro, his gaze locked onto Shiro's.

Keith held back a gasp when Shiro gently reached up to wrapped his fingers around his wrist that was still running across Shiro's scar, his thumb grazing the pulse on his wrist, his forefinger curling gently against his warm skin and flicking off the heart that got stuck there. Keith released his breath slowly, he could feel the heat pool in his lower belly at Shiro's stare.

Shiro pulled Keith's hand away slowly and broke the stare, he lowered his gaze to Keith's wrist, his fingers rubbing at the thin white scars around Keith's wrist, he opened his mouth to say something when someone cleared their throat.

"What're you two doing?"

They both jumped away from each other and glared over at Pidge who was narrowed eye smirk, something about that look was unsettling.

"Nothing, we were doing nothing," Shiro said quickly and turned to Keith who nodded, "Nothing," he replied just as quickly.

Pidge gave a shrugged and pursed her lips, "if you two are doing  _nothing,_ then we should hurry and head to dinner," she said turning on her heel.

Shiro quickly took a step and placed a hand over his head and glared down at her as she squinted up at him, "If you do anything like that again young lady..." he scolded. Pidge snorted and wiggled free from under Shiro and pouted at him.

"Young lady? Excuse me but I'm an adult and you're not my dad," she stated. There was a snort behind them and Hunk rounded the corner and winked at Shiro, "technically you are the oldest out the five of us so that does technically make him like a dad, or space dad," he said.

"Space dad? Please don't call me that," Shiro said sighing, Keith furrowed his brows and looked over at Hunk, "Space dad?" he asked.

Pidge grinned and she elbowed Shiro with a wink, "space  _daddy_  for Keith huh?" she said, Shiro's cheeks flared and Pidge bolted before Shiro could physically harm her but unluckily Shiro started chasing after.

"What happened?" Keith asked Hunk and he shook his head, "don't worry about it, Pidge was just being nasty and hey listen to me carefully please don't call Shiro 'daddy' it'll ruin my innocence," Hunk said seriously.

"You can call him  _Papi_ though," Lance said jumping in between them.

"No!" Hunk shouted and quickly covered Lance's mouth and glared at Keith, "don't listen to Lance or Pidge!" he hissed, Keith nodded quickly and took a step back, Lance licked at Hunk's hands and danced to the side while laughing.

"Keith, I swear I'll stop teasing you over your mullet if you call him  _Papi_  please I'm begging you!"

"Don't listen to him, Keith! He's a liar!"

Keith looked at them and shook his head, he walked away from their arguing and headed for the kitchen, he found Pidge sulking in a seat beside Shiro who was happily chatting with Allura.

Keith sat down in front of Shiro and nodded over to Pidge who shook her head and crossed her arms, Keith looked at Shiro who smiled at him, Keith jerked his head over towards Pidge and raised an eyebrow but Shiro shook his head and wrinkled his nose,  _'don't worry about it'_

Hunk and Lance arrived a few ticks later, they sat down on either side of Keith and Coran had already got a bowl of goo ready for them and sat down beside Allura. Dinner was silent and Lance kept nudging him with his feet and Keith glared at him.

"Is there a problem?"

They both shook their head and Shiro went back to his dinner, Keith did wonder what kind of reaction he would get if he  _did_ say the word but judging by Hunk's frantic pleading he decided it wasn't worth it.

Maybe later on when they got closer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! so I posted this really quickly and I barely went over it, so if anyone could help me out and tell me if there are any grammar mistakes or any other kind of mistakes! It would help alot!
> 
> Comments are most welcome!  
> Kudos and bookmarks as well :)  
> :* I love you guys for being so patient as well!!


	14. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I know I've been MIA for so long and I don't have an excuse this time, except for that I was on a major writers block and I was trying to put together this scene and it was too difficult for me to put into words and I was just mentally stressed for the past two months.  
> I Love depression :))
> 
> Anyways, how's everyone's Halloween been? Super late, I know.

“Question,” Shiro said plopping down beside Keith who was glanced up at him curiously and closing his booklet and turned towards Shiro.

“I may have an answer,” Keith said, Shiro licked his lips and scratched his cheek nervously. “Do you really want to see Earth?” he asked, “I mean once the war’s over,” he added. Keith frowned and wondering where this sudden shyness came from.

“I thought it was already a known fact,” Keith said.

“I know, I thought you were just saying it at the spur of the moment,” Shiro said shifting a bit closer, Keith shrugged and he pulled his tail into his lap, “I never meant it halfheartedly, I really do would love to see Earth, especially where you came from,” he added shyly feeling his cheeks heat up, Shiro’s did as well and he cleared his throat.

“Oh,” Shiro murmured.

“I want to see everyone’s home as well!” Keith added quickly trying to make it less awkward.

“Obviously,” Shiro murmured.

Keith nodded stiffly and he glanced up at Shiro to see him suppressing a smile, Keith narrowed his eyes at him.

“Are-Are you laughing at me?” Keith asked, Shiro, shook his head and cleared his throat again. Keith pursed his lips and shook his head, “you _are_ laughing at me,” he stated.

“Sorry, I’m not technically laughing at you,” Shiro said, then shook his head and looked at Keith, “though it would be hard to bring you to earth,” he said seriously, Keith frowned and asked why.

“Well because most people or well nobody is purple,” Shiro said, Keith adjusted so he was sitting on his knees and he was facing Shiro, his tail twitching nervously behind him. “What are we going to do?” he asked seriously.

Shiro hummed and his lips twitched at the serious tone of Keith’s voice, “well I don’t think you’ll be able to enter Earth if you still look purple,” he teased. Shiro wasn't expecting Keith to look so downcasted, Shiro watched as Keith pulled away and faced forward, his hands clenching at the fabric on his knees.

“Oh,” he murmured.

“Keith, I was kid—”

“—I have to tell you something,” Keith murmured, Shiro paused and waited for Keith to speak but he looked nervous and conflicted. Shiro reached out and grasped Keith’s hand in his and scooted closer.

The soft hand felt different in Shiro’s hand, it didn’t feel like a human hand, first of all, his hand was slightly worn along the ridges of his fingers as if he did labor all his life. Shiro would know cause his nanny had the same feeling on her hands. There was also a small amount of fur on the back of his hand that ended near his knuckles, it was oddly cute. Keith's hand seemed smaller in Shiro’s grasp, Shiro gripped Keith’s hand tighter in his, ignoring the small pinpricks from the pointed claws.

“You know you can tell me anything right? I’ll listen and you don’t have to feel nervous around me,” Shiro said softly.

Keith nodded stiffly and took a deep breath, Shiro ran his thumb along Keith’s knuckles and waited patiently.

“I—”

The castles alarm went off and they quickly jumped to their feet and looked at each other, Shiro squeezed Keith’s hand tightly before letting go, “Tell me afterward okay, first let’s see suit up,” he said.

Keith swallowed and nodded.

* * *

 

The sentry landed roughly in front of them, the other two nearby did the same. Lance and Keith looked at each other and nodded, they split ways and hurried down the purple lighted pathway towards the other rooms.

Keith reached the prisoner’s ward and he knocked the guard out with the handle of his sword as soon as he turned the corner, the prisoners whispered and stood up cautiously as Keith unlocked the prisoner doors, Keith hurried in and unchained them from the wall.

“Hurry, before the other guards come!” Keith hissed, an Olkari narrowed her eyes at him, “why should we trust another Galra?” she asked cautiously. Keith leveled her with a glare, “now it is not the time to ask questions, I fight against the Galra, I am a paladin of Voltron, please we must make haste!”

The rest turned to the Olkari and she finally nodded, they quickly rushed past Keith and out the doors. Keith went to unchain the other prisoners and with the help of the female Olkari, Keith managed to help them to the escape pod that Hunk had readied for them.

“You think you got them all?” Hunk asked closing the hatch, the pod shot out and from there Pidge used the green lion to maneuver the pod behind the barrier of the castle. “I think so,” Keith said and looked down at his wrist, a holographic time showed up and he patted Hunk’s arm. “We have exactly three dobashes before the security system goes back on, let’s meet up with Lance and Shiro in the control room,” he said.

In the control room, Lance had the guards tied in the corner and had his gun pointed at him, Shiro was downloading the information onto a Pidge’s USB.

“Did you get all the prisoners?” Lance asked. Keith nodded and walked over to Shiro.

“Are we almost done?” he asked, Shiro gritted his teeth and shook his head, “there is more information and if you could just give me a few minutes,”

“We will get it next time,” Keith said, Shiro exhaled sharply and he shook his head, “we don’t have time to waste until next time,” Shiro gritted out. Keith placed a hand on Shiro’s arm, “I understand your frustration but we can’t risk staying here, once the security comes back on, the ship can easily go into hyperdrive and then it’ll be too late,” Keith gritted out.

Shiro hung his head but he nodded, the downloading process was complete and Shiro unplugged the clip and withheld downloading the rest of the files, he gave a firm nod to Hunk and Lance and they hurried out of the control room and towards the exit they snuck in through.

“Wait! Wait!”

They all froze when they heard Pidge scream through the comms, Shiro quickly asked what was wrong before Pidge answered.

“Apparently, we have one missing prisoner, one of the aliens got separated from his child, the child is still on the ship!”

“Why wasn’t this mention before!” Keith hissed pulling up the small screen form his gauntlet, the group huddled around until they pinpointed a small green walking through one of the hallways, heading straight into another Galra soldier who was running down the opposite direction.

“Let’s go!” Shiro ordered, Keith shut his map and Pidge scrambled with apologies through the comm. “Was it this way?” Hunk wondering, Shiro shook his head and continued down the hall, they all stilled for a split second when they heard a small whimper.

“Oh shit,” Hunk muttered, they rounded the corner, they all narrowed eyes at the large Galra soldier who had his thick hand wrapped around a squirmy child Torapos. Shiro charged forward while Keith unhooked his blade from his belt.

“Hey!” Keith shouted while flinging his belt straight a the Galra, the soldier glanced up with wide eyes, he screamed in pain as the blade rammed into the Galra’s arm, he dropped his grip on the child and Shiro slid down to catch him.

The Galra snarled and he swung at Shiro but Lance had already aimed for the Galra, a swift shot at the head had him fall to his side like deadweight, Shiro cradled the child and quickly scrambled up.

“You have less than thirty ticks to get out!” Pidge reminded them.

“Hurry!” Hunk hissed waving his hand Shiro and turned around to head back where they came from. When they reached the exit, Keith quickly ripped off his helmet and tossed it at Shiro, “give it to the child, they won’t last that long out there,” Keith explained.

Shiro looked perplexed and Keith quickly explained, “Galra have higher chances of surviving if they’re exposed to the space atmosphere, I’ll be fine,” he said. Shiro hesitated for a split second but nodded and gently put the helmet on the child who resumed tucking his head in Shiro’s neck.

Keith was the last person to leave the ship, he used his booster to help him fly towards Pidge’s lion. He held his breath while doing so and once he was safe in the jaws of the lion, he sucked in the sweet air. Shiro was suddenly by his side, rubbing his shoulder while murmuring at him soothingly.

The child looked at him curiously through the helmet, Keith panted and nodded at Shiro, the child took off his helmet and held it for Keith to take.

Shiro ran his fingers through the child’s shaggy brown hair, his fingers grazing off the tiny stubs on his head where his horns were coming out. Keith took the helmet and the child wiggled out of Shiro’s grasp and landed on the floor.

“We’ll get you to your papa quickly,” Lance said coming over to kneel beside them, Hunk joined in a second later. The child looked at all of them and he grinned, he clicked his tongue twice then made a popping sound with his lips.

“What the fuck,” Lance whispered, Hunk glared at him and Lance gave him a grin. The child made the sounds again and he shoved at Keith’s knee gently before grinning.

“Is he thanking you?” Shiro asked.

Keith tilted his head, he understood the language of the Torapos but it was kind of hard to respond back.

“He is thanking me but I do not know how to respond back,” Keith answered, the child did it again but more earnestly, he was waiting for a response and frowned at Keith, waiting expectedly.

“Let me try,” Lance said, he used his finger to pop his cheeks and clicked his tongue, then popped his lips. The child gasped and glared at Lance, Keith stifled his laugh.

“What’d you say? Keith, what’d he say?” Hunk asked curiously. Keith shook his head, “the Torapos are very serious and gentle people, Lance basically said he wanted to go the bathroom in a rather crude way,” Keith explained.

“Lance how about you let Keith do the alien language,” Shiro said suppressing a smile, Lance huffed and crossed his arms. Keith looked at the child and made a chirping sound at the back of his throat and clicked his tongue once. The child grinned and quickly grabbed onto Keith’s gloved hands.

“We’re landing in three---two—one, alright everyone out!” Pidge shouted, Lance and Hunk stood up and Shiro held out his hand to help up Keith. There was a sharp pain in Keith's head and he suddenly felt light on his feet. Keith stumbled into Shiro and pressing his hand on his chest for support.

“You okay?” Shiro asked worriedly, Keith nodded and let out a hard blink, “just got lightheaded for a tick,” Keith murmured.

“We should have Coran check you out,” Shiro said, Keith furrowed his brows and shook his head, “that will not be necessary,” Keith murmured pushing away from Shiro.

Hunk looked up from Lance trying to teach the kid his name, the kid kept clicking his tongue while Lance kept mouthing his name slowly.

“L-a-n-c-e, can you say Lance?”

The kid growled and reached up to tweak Lance’s nose, Lance cried out apologies and yanked his nose free.

“Whoa, Keith…” Hunk trailed off, Lance looked up at the same time did Keith. Pidge had just exited the cockpit and was heading down the ramp towards the jaws the lion.

“What?” Keith asked worriedly turning towards them, his vision blurred and he took a small forward before he had realized that he was actually pitching backward, he felt someone catch him and the ceiling of the lion was the last thing he saw.

* * *

 

“The wound wasn’t very deep but he’ll still need a few moment to recovery in the cryo-pod,” Coran said turning away from the screen towards the group crowding around Keith’s cryo-pod. “The adrenaline from the mission must've distracted him from the pain,” he added when he saw the worry on their faces.

Shiro nodded and rubbed his jaw, “we have to be more careful, we’re just lucky it wasn’t too serious,” he said and looked at the group, they nodded solemnly.

“Clean up and we’ll meet in the training room,” Shiro added, the group looked at each other before Pidge stepped forward.

“Shiro we’re really exhausted from the mission, can’t we rest for a bit before training,” she said. Shiro wanted to argue but he saw the defeated look on their faces and nodded, “fine but we need to start training as soon as possible,” he said.

They nodded and hurried out of the medical bay and towards the showers, Coran cleared his throat and Shiro looked over at him confused.

“I do not want to alarm you but considering you are the closest to the red paladin, but did you know that he’s not full Galra,” he said.

Shiro frowned and stepped closer to the computers, Coran held up the tablet and tapped on the screen, “If my calculations show correct, it says that Keith’s half Galra, either from his mother or father was Galra,” he said.

Shiro shook his head and grabbed the tablet, “Keith never mentioned being half Galra, what’s his other half?” he asked flipping through the holographic pages of Keith's internal body, one showing his body temperature, the other an x-ray of his bones, another his muscular system and so forth.

Coran’s mustache twitched and Shiro looked up from his tablet, his finger hovering centimeters above the screen to give Coran a steady glare.

“Coran…” he trailed off, Coran blew out a puff of air, his mustache twitching from the breath and handed him another tablet, “Keith’s part human Shiro,” he said.

Shiro let out a disbelieving scoff and Coran handed him another tablet with Keith’s bodily functions and DNA, Shiro took the tablet hesitantly and his grip tightened around the edges when he saw the confirmation on the screen.

_Keith: Paladin of the Red Lion. Species: Galra and Earthling decent_

“Is this supposed to be a joke?” Shiro asked clenching his jaw, Coran shook his head and looked towards Keith, “I’m sure he was waiting for the right moment to tell us,” Coran said softly. Shiro put down the tablet and shook his head.

“Right moment? We’re a team, practically a family, there were supposed to no secrets between us, he should've have told us a long time ago!” Shiro hissed crossing his arms tightly, he didn’t look over at Keith and backed away from the Coran and the cryo-pod.

“I’m going to be in my room,” Shiro muttered turning around stiffly walking out. Coran sighed and he looked over at Keith before sighing deeply, Coran turned back to his screen.

"Oh dear," he murmured.

It wasn’t long before Keith’s cryo-pod hisses, Coran swiftly walked over as the hatched opened, Keith’s blinked awake and Coran held out his arm just in case Keith pitched forward but he grabbed onto the side of the cryo-pod as he regained his balance.

Keith looked around and Coran was sure his eyes dimmed a little, he swallowed and looked over at Coran, his eyes just a bit glassy.

“Where’s everyone?” he asked curiously, “I told them to let you rest,” Coran said moving away as Keith regained his strength, Keith nodded and Coran let him towards the table where he checked his vitals once more before letting him go for the night.

“…and Shiro? He left as well?” Keith murmured watching Coran pack up, there was a sudden stiffness and Keith frowned.

“He—I told him to go rest, he was really exhausted, aside from the mission, he had to do a speech for the prisoners we captured and helped bring everyone back home, he wanted to stay but I told him that you needed your rest,” Coran said, it was half true. Shiro was exhausted but he wanted to stay until he found out about Keith’s secrete.

“Oh, I should go check on him, let him know that I’m fine, I know he worries far too much,” Keith said heading for the door, he paused when Coran stopped him suddenly.

“He’s rather tired, I would not want to bother him,” Coran said. Keith gave him a confused look but nodded.

* * *

 

Even though Keith had agreed to let Shiro rest, he wounded up in front of Shiro’s door, waiting anxiously. The hallways were dimly lited and there was only one fluorescent blue light shining above Shiro’s door.

Keith licked his bottom lip anxiously and pressed his hand flat against the door and banged once, then again after a few ticks.

“Enter!”

The light on the hand-pad turned green and Keith moved to press his hand flat against the pad, the door opened swiftly and Keith took a cautious step inside, Shiro was lying in bed with his bionic arm over his eyes, his other hand dangling off the bed, he looked deep in thought and probably didn’t Keith enter.

Keith cleared his throat, Shiro tensed and slowly moved his hand away from his eyes but stared at the ceiling instead, Keith frowned at the odd behavior and stepped forward, he froze when Shiro swiftly sat up and turned to glare at Keith.

The look had Keith’s inside freeze up, he could feel his throat close up, his fingers twitched nervously beside him.

Shiro let out a disbelieving laugh and hung his head and exhaled deeply, “I thought we agreed to no secrets, we would tell each other everything,” he muttered.

Keith shook his head softly, “I do not understand,” he said softly. Shiro placed his hand on his knees and heaved himself up, he turned to Keith with a disbelieving frown, “of course you—are you keeping secrets from me?” he asked instead.

The hesitation gave Shiro his answer and he rubbed the bridge of his nose, “I just want to be alone for now,” Shiro said turning back to his bed.

Keith took a step forward and Shiro paused, “I do not understand, please explain,” Keith said. Shiro shook his head and slumped on his bed, “there’s nothing to explain, please see yourself out,” he said.

“I want to know what I did to make you act like this,” Keith said taking another step closer, “I thought we were friends,” he added.

Shiro snorted and the sound stabbed Keith’s heart lightly but he tried not to let his emotions show, “Shiro…” he started.

“Fine, fine, you wanna know. Okay, I’ll tell you, hmm let’s see, uh you being half human completely slipped your mind, didn’t it?” Shiro hissed standing up taking a step closer towards Keith.

Keith stared up at him, his eyes going wide slowly and the realization dropping on his face, Shiro clenched his jaw and crossed his arms stiffly.

“You—”

“—Coran told me, when you got injured, he saw the blood sample and it all over the screen, you’re half Galra and half human, I don’t understand how can you keep such a big secret from us—from me. Like you said, I thought we were friends,” Shiro said.

Keith shook his head and took a step forward, “we are! I was going to tell you—”

“—When?” Shiro demanded. “Never?” he said throwing his hands up in the air before letting them flop beside him.

“…Eventually, I was scared that you would think of me differently, I thought when I felt the need to tell you I would, I was going to tell you before today’s mission but it was so urgent that I didn’t get time to,” Keith said stepping forward, he picked up his courage and reached down to grab Shiro’s hand, he didn’t let go even when Shiro flinched.

“I’m sorry for keeping it from you but you need to understand my perspective as well, I—I didn’t want you to think I was—a freak,” Keith said, Shiro pulled his hand free and Keith slowly dropped his own hand.

Shiro didn’t say anything and Keith looked away, he folded his hands tightly in front of him, his tail curling tightly around his waist, Keith nodded and gave Shiro a fake smile.

“I—I should let you rest now, I’ll see you in the morning,” Keith said stepping back when Shiro didn’t say anything, Keith turned around and headed for the door, it hissed opened and Keith stepped out.

The door shut behind him, he felt the pinpricks of tears and he quickly shook his head and cleared his throat, Keith gently patted his warmed cheeks and swallowed. He’ll be fine, there was nothing to worry about, he’ll be fine.

* * *

He wasn’t fine, Shiro had made it painfully obvious that he wasn’t talking to him when they were alone, he did his absolute best to make sure they weren’t alone. It hurt Keith, it really did, but then after the first day, he got annoyed, then angry, until a full week past and Keith was livid.

In return he made a point to ignore Shiro as well, made no conversation, he stopped trying after the first three days. Any questions were ignored, even in front of the team. The team noticed, they noticed the rough tension between Shiro and Keith but made no move to fix it, if they did, one would either blow up and they were waiting for them to simmer down but by the end of the week, neither of them made a move to talk.

“We gotta do something!” Lance hissed, Pidge nodded and pushed up her glasses, “It’s getting pretty bad, one time during dinner they just glared at each other the whole time until one of them got up and left,” she said.

“Oh yeah, I’m kind of scared cause like I’ve seen Keith angry but quite Shiro is not really a comforting Shiro, I mean we’re so used to seeing Shiro be all soft and sweet and kind but this Shiro I don’t like it, I’m scared,” Hunk said nervously biting his lip.

“We could lock them in a room,” Lance suggested, Pidge rolled her eyes, “this isn’t an anime Lance, just because we lock them in a room isn’t guaranteed a problem fixer, besides Shiro could easily use his hand to melt the padlock, so that’s a bust,” she said and hummed for a second before perking up.

“What we can do is something similar, we can lure them into a safe planet, make up a mission, boom they’ll work together and communicate, sure it’ll get a bit rough but they’ll figure it out eventually,” Pidge said.

“Lock in a room, two-point-O,” Lance said grinning, Pidge winked at him and they all scrambled to their feet and headed towards the bridge where Allura was glaring at the screen, she glanced over her shoulders at them and let out an exasperated sigh.

“Please tell me you are here to solve Shiro’s and Keith’s stressful behavior, it’s been bugging since our last mission and I ready to bang their heads together until they beg for mercy!” She cried then slowly released a breath and smiled sweetly at them.

“We do have a plan princess and you’re going to need your help,” Pidge said.

* * *

 “I don’t understand, run me by this one more time,” Shiro said crossing his arms, he stood on the furthest side away from Keith.

“Like I said before Shiro, this mission needs the leader and his right-hand man, the people on this planet are very diplomatic and will not take in any other paladins other than you two. While I send you two there, I will have Lance and Pidge on another mission, Hunk will accompany me to the Balmera, Coran will be controlling the ship. Also, you’ll be only needing one Lion, the locals aren’t fond of too many large robots on their peaceful planet,” Allura said to Shiro

“Why? I do not see the need for me to join Shiro on this mission, if you say they are diplomatic then why aren’t you and Shiro going together,” Keith stated cocking his hip, Allura glared at him and he glared right back.

“Because I need to extract the crystals from the Balmera, only an Altean can do that,” she gritted out, Keith shrugged and glanced over at Coran who was nervously standing beside her.

“Coran’s an Altean,” he said raising both eyebrows at her mockingly.

“A royal Altean,” Allura said slowly exhaled sharply from her nose, Coran quickly stepped forward and pressed a hand on Keith's shoulder and smiled at him.

“Just agree with the mission Keith, it’ll be easier on all of us,” he said.

Keith huffed and crossed his arms, “fine,” he muttered glaring at his feet then he snapped his head over towards Shiro and glared at him, “we’re taking my lion,” he snapped turning on his heel towards his lion’s entry.

Before Shiro could say anything Keith had disappeared behind the hatch and he turned to Allura who smiled at him innocently, Shiro bit the inside of his cheek and gave her a mocking innocent smile before storming over to his hatch.

“Well, that went smoothly,” Hunk said fiddling with his fingers, Pidge snorted and walked over to plop down on her seat, “now all we do is wait for them to get their heads out of their asses and apologize to each other, give it a few hours and they’ll be back to normal,” she said relaxing in her chair

* * *

 “Can you slow down!” Shiro hissed when Keith shot out of the wormhole towards the green planet, Keith smirked and jerked back the handles, halting his lion immediately and ignored Shiro who flew forward, he caught himself on Keith’s control panel and glared at him as he straightened up.

“I never said to stop,” Shiro muttered, Keith gave him a haughty look and fired up the lion again, Shiro yelped and flew back, landing flat on his back. Keith dismissed the painful moan and tilted the lion towards the planet.

“Hold on!” Keith called.

 _“To what?”_ Shiro shouted. He grunted as he rolled towards one side of the wall as Keith curved his lion into a landing on the soft ground. Keith simpered to himself and unbuckled his seat, he hopped up and stepped over Shiro towards the jaws and climbed out.

Shiro grunted and rolled over onto his belly before getting to his knees, he rubbed his head and heaved himself to his feet and stumbled behind Keith.

He found Keith standing in front of the lion, his hands on his hips and staring at the barren wasteland in front of him.

“I had assumed a crowd of the locals but there’s nothing here,” Keith murmured stepping out of the jaws, the lion raised his head and slowly put the particle barrier around herself and shut off.

Shiro rubbed his head and looked around, he glared up at the sun and plopped his hand against his thighs, “I guess we treck forward, we’re bound to find someone, it’s not like this place is isolated,” he said.

Keith wanted nothing more to hide back in his lion but he knew that on a mission, he can’t ignore Shiro, no matter how much he wanted to.

“Lead the way, I guess,” Keith said looking away from Shiro and towards the tree lining, Shiro nodded stiffly and started walking away from the lion towards the trees.

The walk was awkwardly silent, an awkward cough here and there but nothing big, they reached the trees in record timing, they looked at the large trees that stretch high up towards the sky, probably higher than the black lion, thick leaves outstretched the rooftops, casting a perfect shade from the blaring sun.

“Should we contact Allura?” Shiro asked. Keith ignored him and stalked forward. Shiro gritted his teeth and sent Allura a quick message about heading into the forest to look for the locals before following after Keith.

“You can’t just walk off!” Shiro shouted jogging up to Keith, the red paladin ignored him. Shiro blew out his breath and held his tongue. It would be useless to argue with Keith, from past experiences, Shiro found out that Keith was a natural hot-head, stubborn, and impulsive. It would be useless to argue with him, although Shiro did deserve, he had withheld conversing with Keith for the past few days, it was normal to get angry and defensive. However, considering the large secret that Keith withheld from it.

Distracted by his own thought, Shiro didn’t see the thin branch coming toward him until it whacked his helmet, Shiro grunted and swatted away the branch before glaring over at Keith who gave him a confused look.

“You did that on purpose,” Shiro stated, Keith snorted and crossed his arms, “I told you to be careful of the branch, I did not mean to hit you,” he said turning away and heading down the pathway he was currently walking out.

Shiro grimaced but didn’t say anything after that, Shiro ended up getting lost in his thought again only to be broken by bumping into Keith’s back.

“What happened?” Shiro asked quickly when he noticed the tense posture, Keith checked the air quality of the planet before taking off his helmet, his ears perked up. “Do you hear that?” Keith asked swiveling his ears back, Shiro shook his head and grabbed onto Keith’s elbow. “I don’t have super hearing like you do,” Shiro whispered.

There was a thump not too far away and Shiro tightened his grasp on Keith’s elbow and jerked him back into him. “What was that?!” he hissed. Keith shook his head and another thump came, this time much closer.

“The locals?” Keith guessed pressing back closer to Shiro, the trees rustled, and a huge shadow went over them.

“Are the locals are fucking eighty foot tall!” Shiro harshly whispered, Keith ignored the sarcasm in Shiro’s voice and stared wide-eyed at the large grayish creature standing high above them.

It looked garish, almost disgusting to look at, gritted yellow teeth and jut out its enlarged bottom lip, ugly moles scattered on his gray face, beady red eyes scanned the sky, his enlarged forehead jut out, his nose was skinny and pointed, his ears stuck out like large Yunax’s, it was only wearing dirty, shredded brown pants that ended right above his knees.

Shiro’s hand slowly slide down Keith’s elbow until he reached his hand and intertwined their fingers, he slowly pulled Keith deeper into the forest and away from the monster’s view. They ducked behind a huge tree trunk and Shiro quickly clasped his hand over Keith’s mouth.

They held their breath as the monster sniffed the air, it gurgled and let out a large snort. “Don’t move,” Shiro whispered tilting his head to the side, the monster had knelt down and was sniffing the forest floor, Shiro snapped his head back and blew out a slow breath.

There was a snort and Keith tensed up, they both looked up to see mutated gray fingers curling around the top of the tree.

There was a gritted grunt and the monster was now pulling the tree up from its root, Keith and Shiro stumbled forward and fell to their knees before quickly scrambling out of the way. Shiro got up first and heaved Keith up beside him.

The monster stared at them perplexed then at the tree.

Shiro snatched Keith’s hand whispered, “I think we should run now,” he whispered, Keith nodded and yelped when Shiro swiftly turned around and ran the opposite direction of the monster, Keith picked up and sped along with Shiro.

“I do not think we will be able to outrun him!” Keith shouted the monster had started chasing them a few moments later after watching them run.

Shiro gritted his teeth and before he could come up with a plan, the monster jumped and soared over them and landed a few yards in front of them, the ground shook as he landed and even a few trees around him fell from the sudden impact, Keith had stumbled right into Shiro who also fell against a tree.

“There’s no way we can fight this monster,” Keith whispered and yelped when Shiro tugged him the other direction.

“Call out to your lion!” Shiro shouted tugging him harder, Keith focused on to his lion but there was a large wall keeping him from contacting him, it was like a pulse and Keith gasped as he felt a sharp pain in his head.

“I can’t! There’s something stopping me!”

Shiro mentally cursed himself for bad luck, but his luck brightened when he saw a large tree with a small hole in the bottom.

“Come on!” Shiro urged tugging Keith in the direction of the tree, they skidded to a halt and quickly Keith crawled with Shiro seconds after them. They stood up and pressed themselves against the hollow tree, their breathing was harsh, and Keith could feel his legs tremble.

“Wh-what happened ah to being a pe-peaceful planet?” Keith gasped trying not to fall to his knees, there was a limited amount of space and he was already pressed so close to Shiro.

Shiro gulped and shook his head, Keith could see the sweat through the helmet and felt his own sweat against the black skin-tight suit.

“I think he’s gone,” Shiro whispered when they heard nothing, he went to check when Keith quickly grabbed his arm and tugged him back, they bumped into each other and Shiro glared at Keith.

“What’re you doing!” he hissed, Keith glared right back and pointed over towards the hole, “he’s still out there, I can hear him!”

“Oh”

“I guess we wait here till he goes away before making a break for your lion,” Shiro added, Keith nodded and released Shiro’s hand, he crossed his arms stiffly and glared at his feet. Just because they were stuck in a life-threatening situation doesn’t mean that he won’t stay mad at Shiro.

Shiro noticed the quick behavior change and he scratched his arm nervously, his metal fingers catching at the thick black fabric, he cleared his throat and when Keith didn’t do anything he cleared his throat again.

Keith flinched but didn’t look up, Shiro took that as his opportunity and he scooted a bit closer, so their shoulders were pressing against each other. Keith lifted his head to stare at the tree but didn't glance over at Shiro, he made a show of moving away but Shiro moved closer.

“I uh—” Shiro started but he didn’t know what to say, he had apologized before and he knew a simple ‘sorry’ wasn’t going to fix this; but before he could say anything else the tree shook and they quickly grabbed each other’s hand and lifted their gaze towards the top, it was dark and empty, but they knew the monster had found them.

They went to crawl out when suddenly the tree jerked, they bumped against each other with the sudden impact and suddenly it felt as though the tree was being lifted.

“We could jump and use the jetpacks to help us land” Shiro suggested, Keith nodded and Shiro went climbing out first when they heard a crack and light poured in from the top. They froze and then another crack and another until the tree was split in half.

They saw a garish looking sickly yellow eye peeking at them through the top of the tree, there was a slick sound of the eye blinking at them, the monster made a confused sound and pulled away, he went to tilt the tree but they were already climbing out of the small hole, Shiro jumped first then Keith.

What they didn’t expect was the monster too quickly wrap his fingers around Keith’s body, his thumb hitting Shiro’s back and propelling him forward with a startled cry, he landed with a loud crunch on his back, the sound of his jetpack breaking.

“Shiro!”

Shiro blinked and he dazedly tilted his head to the side, his helmet was off and lay a few yards away from him, his vision was getting blurry and he could hear the faint sound of someone screaming for him…not someone, Keith.

Keith was screaming at him. Shiro jerked his head up but a sharp pain zipped in his head, he groaned and dropped his head back down, dark spots danced in his vision and the last thing he saw was a blurry vision of the tree’s rooftop staring down at him before he passed out.

* * *

 “They’ve been gone for a long time, should we go down after them?”

“Nah, let them handle it, Coran already told me that the planet was pretty safe and isolated,”

“Wanna head to the kitchen, Hunk’s making some dinner, we can ask him for an early dinner snack,”

“Hell yeah!"

* * *

 “…-up!”

“…-ake up!”

“Wake up!”

Shiro gasped awake, he gulped at his dry throat and looked around. He was in a weird gray hut, he was sleeping on a fur nest, it was circular and had tons of pillows and quilts.

“Here drink this, it’ll help boost your energy.”

Shiro looked over to see a humanoid version of a fox staring at him and holding out a steaming slightly chipped mug.

The fox had red ears, a fluffy tail but a human-like dark-skinned boy, the hair on his head was red like his fur and fell down in his waves over his shoulders, he had long whiskers outjutting from his upper lip, his lips were black and his eyes were slighter larger than normal and they were red.

The fox human creature was wearing white robe of some sort to cover its boy, the style reminded Shiro of the roman’s, a white shirt covering thick drapes of white cloth.

“Take it,” he said again.

Shiro sat up carefully and cautiously reached out to grab the mug, he looked inside and frowned at the pink stained water, it had little purple flower petals floating in it.

“What’s it?” Shiro asked clearing his throat.

“It’s tea, hurry up and drink it, you want to save your friend, right?”

Shiro blinked and his heart sank, “The m-monster, it took Keith, my friend, we have to help him!” Shiro urged making a move to stand up but the fox placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and smiled at him calmly.

“We will save him, do not worry, please drink the tea. My husband made it especially for you,” the fox said.

Shiro sat back down and nodded, he took a hesitant sip and was surprised to know that it wasn’t hot, considering how warm the cup was. Shiro drank it greedily, letting the flower petals slip into his mouth and smoothly glide down his throat.

Shiro handed the mug back to the fox who placed it down next to him, he held a finger, indicating at Shiro to wait before getting up and ducking under the small flap of the tent. Shiro heard the faint murmuring of voices outside before another large fox male entered the room.

This male was different than the smaller one, his ears and tails were white, the end looked like it was dipped in black ink, his skin was much darker than the smaller red foxes who’s skin tone resembled Lance’s. He wore a similar white robe but there was a shiny black pin on his shoulder.

“Has my husband given you the tea?” the male asked coming over to kneel in front of Shiro, his voice was far deeper and there was a gentle aurora around him.

“I—yes he did, but my friend, I have to save him,” Shiro said, “will you help me?” he asked.

The male paused and he gave Shiro a look over before turning to the other fox who perked up, he smiled with little white fangs poking out at his painted black lips. The white fox nodded over towards the red one who nodded and ducked back under the flap.

“What is your name?” the white fox asked getting comfortable in front of Shiro.

“Shiro, I’m a paladin of Voltron, I fly the black lion, have you heard of Voltron?” Shiro asked.

The white fox smiled gently and he nodded, “I’ve heard of it, I was there when King Alfor presented the lions to the Universe. It’s been a while since I’ve heard that name and I was afraid that I would never hear that name again,” the fox said.

“I am Kaliger, you can call me Kali, my husband is Zerki. I am King of my people, we have been living on this planet for many decapheebs, our kind does not age, we do not die, we can be killed but other than that we do not die a normal death like most creatures. We age up to a certain point in our lives and then we find out partners that we bond to the end of our lives with, my husband and I had been there way before Voltron, before King Alfor was even born, before his father and his father. We were created by the goddess who created the universe herself,” Kali said.

“Me and my men will aid you in finding our friend and in doing so, we hope that you can slay the hideous monster that thrives on our planet, he was brought here by the Galra and had taken many of our women, for we do not know why but all we can do is hope that they are still alive,” Kali said standing up, he held out a hand for Shiro and helped him up in standing position.

Shiro followed Kali out of the tent and into the bright sun, around their tent were many other similar tents, some were large and some were smaller, many kids curiously came up to Shiro and gazed up at him in wonder, their little ears flicking curiously.

One brave little girl with black fur came forward and latched onto his hand, she gave him a toothy grin and stuck to his side.

“Your men are ready,” Zerki said coming up to them and turned to Kali, Zerki stood on his tip toes and nuzzled Kali’s nose, his tails swishing heavily behind him.

“I wish I could come,” Zerki murmured pouting up at Kali.

“I know dear husband, but you must look after yourself and the little ones,” Kali said his clawed hand coming forward to gently rub on Zerki’s stomach. Zerki frowned and he cupped his husband’s cheeks, claws digging into the dark skin.

“Come home to me or I will never forgive you,” he threatened, Kali gently kissed the frowned lips, specks of black coming off and sticking to his own dark lips. Zerki smiled and he lowered himself back to his feet, he looked over at Shiro who stiffened.

Zerki came forward and he stood two heads taller than Shiro, the black paladin had to tilt his head back to stare up at him.

“I wish you luck on your journey, please bring my husband home in one piece, I would rather not lead this colony and raise my children alone,” he said.

“I promise,” Shiro said holding out his hand, Zerki giggle and he ignored Shiro’s hand flounced off, a group of children chasing after him, trying to catch his fluffy large tail, the little bells attached to his wrist, chimed with every step he took.

“Shall we then?” Kali asked, Shiro nodded and he looked down at the girl who was now curiously staring at his metal arm.

“Mimo, please let go of Shiro’s hand,” Kali said gently, the little girl’s pale cheeks flushed bright pink before she released Shiro’s hand and chased after the other children.

“This way,” Kali said, Shiro followed Kali towards a small group of men and women foxes, decked out in armor, large swords strapped to their chest and each holding up metal spears.

“Don’t you need armor?” Shiro asked Kali who just gave him a close-eyed smile and shook his head.

“This way,” the general said, pointing her spear towards the dense forward. She led the group into the forest with Kali and Shiro leading up the rear.

“Tell me about this friend and how did you two wound up here?” Kali asked. Shiro pursed his lips and shrugged, “it’s kind of confusing actually. First, the princess Allura--King Alfor’s daughter--she wanted us to go on a diplomatic mission, she said she contacted the locals living here and said that they wanted to join in with Voltron as an ally to fight against the Galra,” Shiro said.

“Then, we ended up here, we walked for miles until we reached the forest, then in the forest was when we encountered the large beast, we tried to run, we ended up in a huge hollow tree but it found us and managed to knock me out before taking Keith away. For some odd reason, Keith couldn’t contact his lion to help him, they bonded really easily and but Keith couldn’t focus on his lion, he said something about it being ‘blocked,’” Shiro added.

“As you already know, this planet is a very peaceful planet, the planet itself is alive and it put a mental barrier between your friend Keith and his lion. Mostly to save the planet from being destructed. I assume that’s the reason,” Kali said.

“Then why didn’t it stop the monster from rooting around on its planet?” Shiro asked.

“Because, the beast in a known force to destruct, it had been living here for many years, for example,” Kali said, he reached out and plucked a leave from a bush, instantly the leave grew back within seconds, “this planet will rejuvenate and restore whatever it lost, the beast who uprooted the tree, the tree will grow back within a few days. Now for example, if Keith’s lion did somehow connect with its paladin, she will of course start a blazing fire everywhere.

Either to kill to the beast or scare it away, that same fire can destroy the source of magic on the planet leaving a stain on the forest, the stain will spread and slowly kill all the magic on this planet until the whole planet dies and when the planet dies, we have no source of evacuation and we will die with the planet along with the beast,” Kali said and smiled at Shiro, “does that make any sense?”

“I understand but then why did Princess Allura send us here for a diplomatic mission and you not even knowing that we were coming,” Shiro murmured.

“Now that is a question that I cannot answer but I assure you that I will join in your ally, my people are hard fighters, we heal fast, and are quick on our feet, we were born to fight and defend. The Galra had taken too much from the universe and it our turn to fight back,” Kali said smiling.

“Sir,”

They both looked up to see the general stop in front of them, she gave a firm nod to both of them before continuing.

“It is getting dark, we will set camp here. We will start again tomorrow morning. I will have Jenz and Surik keep watch for the night,” the general said.

Kali held up his hand and shook his head, “that won’t be necessary Ava, just make sure your team is well rested for tomorrow, have Jenz set up the fire and Surik start up the food,” Kali said.

Ava gave a firm nod and turned on her heel to order her team, they nodded and quickly clean out the sleeping area while Jenz a large bulky male fox start digging a hole for the fire and a petite female fox—probably Surik take out sacks of dried meat and water from her pack.

Shiro watched as Kali move further away from the team and close his eyes, he was murmuring softly under his breath and closed his closed his fingers together but held up his forefinger and middle finger together, a small blue light lit from his fingers and he touched the air.

Suddenly a transparent bubble started forming around the clearing, the bubble ended with a white shimmer, the bubble slightly glowing from the light.

“We’ll be safe under the protection spell, do not leave the protection spell at all tonight, go straight to sleep after dinner,” Kali ordered with a stern glare, the team silently nodded and turned back to the fire and the meat that Surik was warming up.

Shiro sat down beside Kali who curled up and promptly fell asleep, Shiro frowned and look at Ava, “Should I wake him for dinner?” he asked.

Ava shook her head and grabbed a water pouch from Surik and gulped it down, Shiro got his own steamed meat on a leaf with a water pouch of his own. Shiro slowly ate, savoring the salty meat and the chilled water.

One by one, the foxes slowly started falling asleep, Ava had Jenz cover the fire with mud before curling around Surik, her gray tail curling over the small fox’s hip.

Shiro was the last one to sleep, he curled his back to Kali and stared at the cuddle pile of foxes in front of him, it looked warm and comforting. Reminded Shiro of his own family, whenever they came over for the holidays, they took over the family room and sleep on the floor, cuddled against each other.

Feeling a bit homesick, Shiro looked away from the group and turned on his back to stare up at the stars, they were thousands of them, twinkling down at him, they contrasted beautifully against the violet sky.

_Take me to see the stars._

Shiro sat up quickly and blinked, the voice, it sounded like Keith but Shiro didn’t remember Keith ever saying that to him or to anyone.

Confused he slowly sat back down, Shiro mouthed the words and blew out a breath. It was too confusing to think about, Shiro muttered a curse to himself and threw a hand over his eyes to sleep, although it wasn’t exactly comfortable to sleep in his paladin armor on his back so Shiro turned to his side and adjusted, with the best he could do, Shiro shut his eyes and thought of home.

* * *

 “There it is,” Ava whispered, the team crouched under the large shrubs and Kali went to kneel beside her with Shiro following.

They stared at the large brown cave, it was a huge opening with thick vines creeping out of it and stretching high above towards the hill that it was built on.

“Should we enter?” Shiro asked but Ava shook her head. “We do not know if the beast is inside or outside, we will have to wait to make sure,” she said.

“What if I go inside and check, I don’t want to waste any more time,” Shiro said. Ava shook her head, “that is a risky move, what if you get caught, we cannot let that happen,” Ava said firmly.

Shiro opened his mouth to argue when there heard a low rumble, they quickly ducked further behind the bushes, Ava and Shiro peeked over the bushes, Ava’s ears pressed flat against her head.

They watched carefully as the beast slumbered out of the cave, scratching his belly, the sound traumatizing Shiro’s memory. The beast yawned and slowly stalked out, the ground rumbling with every step.

Once the steps faded away, they got up and hurried towards the cave. Ava stayed out in the front while urging her team inside.

“I’ll wait out here with Jenz, I’ll signal you when the beast returns,” Ava said. Kali nodded and Jenz went to wait on the other side of the cave.

Shiro sprinting alongside the team, they reached the end of the cave and frowned at the large tables and chairs, the cave was light up by a large fire lamp, on the table was a bird-like cage, it was rusty and old, the metal was chipping away.

Shiro frowned and looked around, there was no way up towards the table towards the birdcage, it was the most plausible idea that Keith was stuck up there.

“What’d we do now?” Shiro asked. Kali hummed and he looked around, his eyes caught on the chair before turning to the group, Kali’s brows furrowed as he was doing a mental count then he smiled.

“Alright team, we are going to create a ladder of foxes,” Kali said, the foxes nodded and with the bulkiest team member who was the bottomed, started helping up the second bulkiest. It went like that until the smallest member who was Surik climbed on the last fox.

“After you,” Kali said.

Shiro nodded and he murmured an apology to the fox who scowled at him as Shiro climbed them like a ladder, he did a quick apology to Surik who’s head he stepped on before jumping onto the chair. Kali was seconds after him.

“Now, how do we climb onto the table,” Shiro gasped out, Kali hummed again and he made the face like he did before then he snapped his fingers.

“I can give you a boost,” Kali said Shiro frowned at him but Kali snapped his fingers and suddenly Shiro was airborn.

“What the fuck!” he hissed but Kali grabbed onto Shiro’s feet and shoved him upwards, Shiro cried out and flew up, once he was close enough, he latched onto the edge of the table and suddenly gravity hit him and he was hanging off the table with two hands.

Heaving himself up, Shiro rolled onto the table and landed flat on his back, he gasped and let out a breathless laugh, it worked. Shiro climbed to his feet and looked over at Kali who was staring up at him curiously.

"Why didn't you boost me up like that before?" Shiro demanded.

"I have to reserve my magic," Kali called back. Shiro nodded and turned towards the birdcage.

Sure enough, he saw Keith curled up at the edge of the cage with a few other female foxes surround him, cuddling for warmth.

Shiro ran forward and grabbed on to the metal bars, he gave it a shake and it vibrated towards the other side, one of the female fox’s ears perked and she lifted her head tiredly.

“He’s here!” she gasped standing up, her voice arose the other foxes who murmured confusingly for a second before gazing at Shiro, their confusion transformed into excitement, they gasped and giggled running towards him with sheer delight.

“Keith told us that you would come!” the largest one said.

“Shiro?”

Keith pushed past the foxes and gazed up at him, he was surprised than impressed for a second before fear sparked his eyes.

“Y-You have to get us out of here, please, before he comes back,” Keith begged grabbing onto the metal bars.

Shiro nodded and he stepped back to stare up at the cage, there was no way this could open and there was no key to open the small cage, the only opening there was, was the small hole on top but Shiro knew he couldn’t climb the cage.

Shiro activated his hand and Keith pushed the foxes back, Shiro withdrew his fist and banged against the bar, it dented a bit and Shiro did it again, the sound of the metal hitting metal echoing throughout the cave.

Sweat broke on Shiro’s forehead, dripping down to the side of his face, his teeth were gritted so hard that Shiro was scared they would snap and break.

Suddenly the metal broke, splitting right in half and curling inward, Shiro started punching the lower half, curling it more inward before moving onto the second bar.

After curling the second bar inward, Shiro pulled away and shook his hand, panting. “Can you fit through?” Shiro asked, the larger one step forward, she picked up her dirty robe and ducked under the top bar and squeezing past the two curled bars underneath.

It took a few adjustments but she was free, then one by one the other foxes squeezed through. Keith was the last one and Shiro sighed in relief before pulling him into a hug. Keith nuzzled into his neck and tightly hugged him back, his fingers curling into Shiro’s waist.

“Good to have you back,” Shiro said pulling away, Keith grinned up at him, his little fangs peeking at him cutely.

“How do we get down?”

Shiro and Keith turned towards one of the foxes who stared over the table, Shiro walked over towards her and saw Kali holding out his arms.

“Kali will catch you, just jump,” Shiro said.

The girl hesitated but quickly gathered up her robes and jumped down, Kali grunted as he caught her and gently lowered her down to her own feet.

One by one, Kali caught all of them. Keith grabbed onto Shiro’s elbows tightly and activated his jetpack before slowly lowering them next to Kali and the rest of the foxes.

“Thanks,” Shiro said. Keith nodded and turned towards the foxes who jumped down from the chair towards the floor.

It was a longer jumper but it was nothing they couldn’t handle, yet again Keith helped Shiro down. Kali was the last to jump and he used his magic to lower himself gently to the floor.

“Hurry, we must leave before the beast returns,” Kali said making sure everyone was present before herding the group towards the exit.

Ava sighed in relief when she saw them and Jenz ran to the other side but stopped when Ava held out her hand, Jenz slowly backed up to his original spot and stayed there.

“We need to stop the beast once and for all,” Ava gritted out, Kali nodded and he produced out a few green beans from his pouch.

“Ava, you know exactly what to do,” Kali said. Ava nodded and she withdrew a silver rope from her pouch, she tossed the end over to Jenz who ran to the middle and catch it before running backward to his spot.

“Quickly, you guys hide behind the boulder here. We’ll take it from here,” Kali said, the team nodded and ran behind the boulder that was next to the cave on Ava’s side.

Jenz hid under a dead brown leave and Ava did the same. Kali stood in the middle of the cave, he pocketed the beans and withdrew a knife, with a quick slice against his palm, he dropped the blade on the floor and held up his open wounded hand.

Kali gave a low whistle, the forest was quieted down, there wasn’t even wind in the air to rustle the leaves, it was eerily silent.

Keith reached out to grab Shiro’s wrist and scoot closer, their knees pressed against each other. Suddenly they heard the floor rumble, the sound got louder and closer, until they saw the peeking over the beast coming out of the forest, his yellow eyes blazing and spit foaming at the mouth.

Kali smirked and he withdrew his beans from his pouch, coating them with his bloodied hand, the wound already healed by the blood was fresh.

The beast snarled and stepped forward, Kali turned around and ran into the forest, jumping over the rope.

“Now!” Kali shouted once the beast as close enough, Ava and Jenz shot out from their hidings spots and sprinted around the beast’s legs, the rope tightening around his ankles. Confused—the beast tried to step but he ended up tripping and falling flat on his face, with a confused roar he turned on his back. Kali quickly climbed on top of the beast and tossed the blood-stained bean into the beast mouth as he roared at Kali.

Kali quickly jumped off of the beast and started chanting, Ava and Jenz released the ropes and went to stand behind Kali and chanted with them.

The beast made a confused sound and went to sit up but froze when he got halfway, he touched his belly and prodded at the fat before gurgling out a grunt, a vine shout out from the beast’s stomach, splattering grey slime everywhere, the beast roared in pain and many more vines shot out, impaling themselves deep into forest floor.

The beast roared and slammed his fist against the cave as the light faded from his eyes, the cave rumbled and it crumbled over the beast’s head, killing it instantly. The vines continued until the beast was covered in it, not a single trace of the beast was left behind.

The team came out from behind the boulder and Kali sighed in relief before crumbling to his knees.

“Thank the goddess…the beast has been defeated!” Kali shouted, tears gleamed his eyes, the foxes cheered with him and suddenly it started to rain, a soft drizzle in the humid day. Shiro smiled and he threw his arms around Keith’s shoulder and ruffled his hair.

“How about we head home,” Shiro suggested.

“I would love that,” Keith murmured.

* * *

 Zerki wanted to throw a feast to thank the brave warriors but Shiro had told them they had to go back home, Zerki pouted but reluctantly agreed when he saw how exhausted they both looked. Kali smiled and handed Shiro a black stone, it stuck in a metal cage that had a leather string attaching it. Keith helped Shiro put it on, tying it tightly around Shiro’s neck.

“A little thank you, you helped me save my people and willingly took part of this dangerous journey,” Kali said bowing his head respectfully.

“It’s no problem, besides the beast had captured a friend of mine as well,” Shiro said jerking his head over to Keith who had run off to play with the little kids, lifting his tail playfully to let the little ones catch it.

“Is he your mate?” Zerki asked curiously, gazing at the Galra with a tiny bit of suspicion. Shiro frowned and he realized that word was familiar with what most people assumed wolves called their partners or any other canine or feline.

“I—what—no, no sorry, he’s just a friend,” Shiro stammered feeling his cheeks heat up. Zerki pouted and he flicked his tail curiously and bent slightly down to gaze at Keith.

“He’s cute, I’m surprised he’s not your mate,” Zerki murmured. Kali cleared his throat and Zerki perked up to stare up at his husband, both of his hands latching onto the muscular arm before snuggling into it with eyes closed and a happy smile, letting their tail intertwine.

“Should we have Ava escort you to our lion?” Kali asked, Shiro awkwardly looked away from the public affection from Zerki. “No thanks, we’ll be out of your hair really quickly,” Shiro said stepping back.

Kali nodded and Shiro looked over at Keith who lifted his head at the same time, with a little goodbye to the kids, who whined as they watched Keith catch up with Shiro.

They said their goodbyes to Kali and Zerki before heading the way Kali instructed them to go. They broke through the forest and they found themselves staring at the back side of Keith’s lion. With a tired groan, Shiro and Keith walked around the lion and entered the cockpit once the particle barrier got off and the lion lowered her head towards them.

“I can just imagine my bed,” Shiro murmured holding on tightly to Keith’s seat just in case he did the same dirty trick before but it seemed like that tension was over and all they had to do was talk it out.

Keith hummed and flew out of the planet’s atmosphere and towards the Castle of Lion which was floating directly above the planet.

When they landed the ship, Coran was waiting for them in Red’s hangar, he got an earful from Shiro.

“Next time, make sure you do a full scale of the planet before sending anyone down, we almost got eaten by a troll looking monster!” Shiro hissed.

Coran frowned and wiggled his mustache, “well, by my calculations, the planet should’ve been quite peaceful, it was a few hundred years ago,” he said huffing.

Shiro rolled his eyes but he knew it was better not to argue with Coran, in the end, it all worked out. Shiro helped the foxes escape, Kali defeated the beast and the planet was once again peaceful.

Shiro was too tired to even talk to the rest of the team so he headed over to his room to shower and get a good rest. Just as he was about to close the light, he heard a knock on the door, groaning Shiro sat up and let the person it.

Shiro straightened up when Keith walked in hesitantly, he looked fresh out of the shower, his wet hair dampening the fabric of his body suit around his shoulders and his back.

“I believe we should talk,” Keith murmured.

Shiro sighed and he nodded, “it long overdue huh?” Shiro said with a weak smile, Keith managed a smile of his own and nodded.

The door shut behind them and they were enveloped back in the dark with the eerie blue light that lightened up the room.

“So…talk,” Shiro said, Keith nodded and he walked over towards the table beside Shiro’s bed, he moved the chair in front of the bed and sat down, he fiddled with his fingers nervously and Shiro waited patiently.

Keith finally took a deep breath and wedged his hands between his thighs and looked up at Shiro, his eyes gleamed with determination and his mouth opened to speak.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there are any mistakes, please tell me so I can fix them ASAP, this chapter was a bitch to edit and I'm positive that there are tons more mistakes in there that I didn't catch.
> 
> see you guys soon on the next chapter which I'm working on right now but it's coming along pretty slow, so hang in there guys! :) *flings loves at my fans* I love you guys from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me :')
> 
> Also, that little exchange goes. "Pide, Lance, Pidge, Lance"  
> Just in case anyone was confused.


	15. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Depression is a horrible thing and it's worse when you have Anxiety as well. So PREPARE FOR TROUBLE MAKE IT DOUBLE!
> 
> also sorry for the late update, I've just been trying really hard to work on the 'talk scene' no matter how many times I would write it, it just wouldn't turn out the way I had planned in my head.  
> so I'm sorry if it wasn't what you guys expected :\ I tried, I really did.

Lance threw a ball at the wall, it bounced off the wall and bounced on the floor then floated over towards where he was sitting. He kept doing it, over and over again, Hunk glanced over kind of worried that Lance was silent for a long amount of time, even Pidge noticed the odd behavior and ceased her research and glanced over.

Lance let out a sigh.

Hunk and Pidge glanced over, Hunk slightly jerked his chin towards Lance while raised an eyebrow at Pidge. Pidge shook her head subtly and raised both of her eyebrows, Hunk narrowed his eyes at her and jerked his head again but this more with more Pidge. They both tensed when Lance sighed again…louder.

Hunk widened his eyes and raised his finger and pointed it towards Lance, he tried to look stern but Pidge hid her face behind the laptop and ignored Hunk.

Lance sighed again but this time it was exaggerated by a mile.

“Hey, buddy, what’s up, you seemed kind of quiet,” Hunk said, he gave a narrowed look to Pidge who discreetly flicked him off and pretend to pay attention to her research.

“Nothing…” Lance murmured trailing off then sat up quickly, he caught the ball when it floated back at him and turned to Hunk with a determined expression.

“Keith and Shiro have been in their room for a while now, do you think everything’s alright? I mean, do you think they noticed we put them on a planet with a flesh-eating troll. Also, do any of you get kind of…” he trailed off not knowing how to explain himself.

“Jealous?” Hunk offered and smiled at Lance’s blushed cheeks, the blue paladin nodded bashfully and kicked his foot softly in the air.

“I don’t know—I’m not saying I don’t like Keith, I’m just saying that, in a short period of time. Shiro and Keith became really close, closer then we’ve ever been. Keith’s Galra, the race that’s destroying the universe and tortured Shiro, took away his arm and took away Pidge’s brother and father…”

“Yeah but Keith’s not one of those Galra, he’s the good kind,” Pidge said sternly.

Lance hunched his shoulders and nodded, “You guys don’t get jealous though?” he asked.

“Uh not really,” Hunk said, Pidge nodded, “Ditto,”

“Guess it’s just me,” Lance murmured.

“Well, it’s not always towards Shiro, you did get jealous at Keith when he hung out with me that one time then when he helped Pidge wash her lion. Your kind of a jealous person Lance, be it with friends or partners,” Hunk offered then smirked.

“It’s cause you’re the baby of the family,” he added.

“I am not!” Lance cried even though it was a total lie, he just didn’t want Pidge to hear that.

“No way! You are?! That explains so much,” Pidge said then laughed when Lance threw the space ball at her, it soared right over her head and Pidge knew that Lance didn’t directly aim it at her.

“I can’t believe you two,” Lance muttered crossing his arms and pouting.

“That’s your personality man, you can’t change it,” Hunk said, Lance stuck his tongue at him and Pidge suddenly choked back a laugh.

“Oh my god, I just realized that you’re acting like Shiro’s your dad and Keith’s the new step-mom who came into the picture,” Pidge said.

“O-M-G, Pidge you’re right!” Hunk cried laughing, Lance puffed out his cheeks, “I hate you two,” he muttered.

\----s

“It was my father who was human, my mother was Galra or well I assume full Galra. All I remember was my father’s face, it was faint. Skin like yours, I think, brown eyes, and a head full of dark hair, a blurry image but I know it was my father whom I remember,” Keith said after a while.

They were sitting side by side on Shiro’s bed, leaning into each other, their knees touching, boots bumping into each other. Shiro listened patiently, not saying a single word.

“I had no memory of anything except my father, the rest was of me living on a battlecruiser with other Galra Kits. I had been raised, learned, and trained with all of them. We only had one female who raised all twenty of us. I never really made friends with them, they didn’t like me, I wasn’t like them. I was abnormal, pale, hairless, weird, ugly, I wasn’t accepted until I learned how to change into my Galra form,”

“Then…I grew, grew too fast because I was suddenly shoved into the work labor, I worked all morning and all night, barely had enough food to eat, I wasn’t treated well. So, I worked harder, avoided all contact with Galra, I stopped trying to fit in and make friends. I kept to myself. Decapheebs passed and I was transported, told me I was being freed, I was excited, so I wasted no time in transferring,

“It wasn’t a transfer to freedom, but I transferred to-to—I rather not say his name—”

“I know, Allura told me, we found out a few weeks ago about Zarkon’s son and she mentioned something about you working for him,” Shiro said.

Keith tensed and he seemed to curl into himself, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist, “You know? Everything?” he whispered keeping his gaze on the boots.

Shiro awkwardly scratched his cheek, “Not all of it but just the main gist of it,” Shiro explained. Keith’s lips wobbled and he squeezed his eyes shut, hunching into himself even more.

“Hey, it’s okay. Well, it’s not okay, it’s not something you get over overnight but you don’t have to feel disgusted with yourself. I’m sorry, I don’t know why I gave you the cold shoulder, it wasn’t my right to do so, you were hurt by the Galra just as much as I have,” Shiro said placing a hand on Keith’s shoulder who blinked and looked up.

Yellow teary eyes blinking rapidly into gray ones, he quickly shook his head and opened his mouth.

“You have been through so much worse! I was not the one who fought so many creatures to survive, you were taken away from your family, separated from your friends, tortured for so many months, I can not compare my pain to your pain—”

Keith held back a gasp when Shiro gently cupped his cheeks, forcing himself to look up with teary eyes, he trailed his hands down Keith's face until he was holding onto his shoulders in a trip grip.

“You have been through as much pain as I have, this is not a competition. You had to survive as well, not by fighting any monsters but by fighting your will to Lo—”

“—Don’t say his name—please, I beg of you,” Keith whispered then licked his lips, “but I willingly gave my body to him, many nights, almost every night, I willingly lay in his bed, don’t tell me that it was not my fault when  _it was!_  I obeyed, I followed every rule, I did exactly what he told me to do, I lay in bed with whoever he told me to,”

“You did that to survive right?” Shiro said gently reaching up with one hand to wipe away the fallen tears, he smiled gently and Keith’s bottom lip wobbled.

“You wanted to survive. What would’ve happened if you didn’t obey him?” Shiro asked. Keith’s brows furrowed and he answered hesitantly.

“I would’ve been punished, maybe killed,”

“Would you rather have died than survived all those years and come to where you are now?” Shiro asked.

“I was prideful, there nobody else to blame but myself! I keep reliving those night every time I close my eyes, there are many nights where I’m scared to sleep. Do you not understand!” Keith said urgently.

“If you had died then who would’ve been the red paladin?”

Keith sputtered and he glared at Shiro, “Allura would’ve been the red paladin, she was it before me!”

“Not a good red paladin in my opinion,” Shiro muttered.

“Rude, you can’t say that she’s the princess,” Keith huffed and lowered his gaze with flushed cheeks when Shiro winked at him.

“You wanted to see the stars, right? From what you told me, you were born on a Galra cruiser ship, lived there for most of your life until you quarantined and sent to him, you hadn’t seen the outside world before, you survived so you could see that. Now look at you, you’re a paladin of Voltron, the pilot of the red lion. You’re part of a group who’s going to take down the Galra empire, defeat Zarkon and his witch and help restore peace and balance throughout the universe, you’re telling me that you would rather be dead than be here—in this exact spot,” Shiro said.

“You have friends, a new family, when we defeat Zarkon, I will help you find your mother and father; if they're still out there. You can see earth…where your father’s from, see my family, Hunk’s, Pidge’s, and Lance’s family. You are part of something great and you need to forgive yourself from the past, you did whatever you needed to do in order to survive, the pain will fade and the scars will stay forever, the nightmares will come and go but you survived. Do you understand?” Shiro said sliding his hands down Keith's shoulders down his arms to gently grab onto the young Galra's hands, ignoring the sharp black claws.

“I think so…” Keith whispered with furrowed brows, Shiro smiled and he surprised both of them by bumping his forehead against Keith's, he ignored his own heated cheeks and added. “I will be there to remind you and I will be there beside you to help you through this.”

Keith nodded and he lowered his gaze to their hands, it was a weird contrast. Purple to pale skin, clean cut fingernails to thin black claws, even with his claws, Keith’s hands were smaller then Shiro’s.

“You have big hands,” Keith blurted then internally winced at how weird it sounded and the change of conversation.

Shiro looked down and snorted, their hands looked weird but it also looked sort of normal at the same time which was  _weird_. A sudden thought came to him and he peeked at Keith through his lashes who was still looking down at their hands.

“It was just a thought, but do you have a human form?” Shiro asked.

Keith tensed up and he looked up at Shiro slowly then turned his head away slightly, his eyes downcast. Shiro quickly backtracked, “I was just asking cause Allura can form, she said something about adapting to a different environment,” he said.

“I do but um, I am not exactly comfortable to show you…yet,” Keith murmured, Shiro nodded, he was disappointed just a tad bit but if Keith wasn’t comfortable then there was nothing he could do.

“I understand,” Shiro said gently.

Keith finally looked up at him and smiled, he gently pulled his hands-free from Shiro’s and tucked his hands between his thighs.

“Although there are some things I do not understand. My body is half Galra and half human, there are many hybrid Galra, most of them are outcast but they cannot change their forms. They are just one form; however, I can change my form, be it human or Galra. That part I do not understand,” Keith said, Shiro frowned and he leaned into bump his shoulder against Keith’s who blinked and looked up at him startled.

“We can go ask Coran or Pidge to look at your DNA, maybe there’s something else in there,” She offered.

“I suppose we could but shouldn’t we be planning on how to defeat Zarkon?” Keith asked, “we already wasted so much time,” he added.

Shiro nodded and he rubbed his jaw, “Our next plan of attack—”

“—we are not ready for attack,” Keith interrupted, he stood up and held out his hand for Shiro, who took it without hesitation, Keith pulled him up and gave him a teasing punch to his chest.

“Coran needs to find more scultrite lenses and you need to strengthen your bond with the Black Lion, go to the Blade of Marmora,  _then_ we plan our next attack,” Keith said firmly.

\-----s

Keith tossed his disguise in the trash-bin, he was glad that he wasn’t the only one who thought these costumes were ridiculous. Keith had no idea why he needed a mask, he looked like a Galra, he should’ve fit in just fine.

“Remember what Coran said, be back in one Varga and do not get sidetracked,” Keith said glaring at Lance who was too busy picking at his teeth, grimacing Keith turned to walk towards the left side of the mall. Hunk went downstairs, Pidge went right, and Lance followed Hunk happily.

This place was another thing Keith never experienced, a space mall as Pidge called it. There were many shops in the large building, some had clothes, weapons, shoes, and little animals that you could take home.

Keith stopped in front of a small store that held little  _Yuppers_ , Keith smiled and knelt so he was eye level at small cubs, there were slow, heavy, and wobbly on their feet, their ears were still folded back against their head.

“I can give you one for eighty hundred GAC,” the shopkeeper said coming out of the store and leaning against the window.

Keith looked away from the one wobbling towards him and stood up, “I was just looking, I do not have that kind of money,” he said gently running his finger along the glass so the small Yupper chased after it.

“Then scram, there’s no point in looking,” the shopkeeper snapped, Keith blinked and he took a few steps back, he gave the shopkeeper a glare and sped off.

“Stupid, inconsiderate, rude…” Keith muttered crossing his arms stiffly. He kept walking until he reached what looked a shop with all sorts of interesting trinket, an odd looking alien was bobbing his head behind a counter, he wore a gray and black hat with  _‘51’_  on it, an open chest white shirt with a thin gold chain with a golden circle charm.

“Welcome, you are my first customer since I opened this shop,” the shopkeeper said coming from behind the counter, he was also wearing baggy black pants there were tight around the knees and a brown belt.

“Thank you for coming in, since you are my first customer, your first purchase will be free,” The alien said staring at him monotonously. Keith’s ears perked up and he looked around. Free, he could work with that.

Curiously, Keith looked around the shop, gently prodding and poking the items on the shelves and counters. Most of them weren’t that interesting, he kept moving deeper into the store. He stopped when he found a shelf full of human clothes, he tilted his head and picked up a similar shirt that looked like Lance’s only this was white and black.

He looked through the clothes until he stopped a bright red jacket, a thick yellow strip going across, a white collar and a white strip going down the sleeves. Keith tried it on and stood in front of the mirror.

It fit him, a bit baggy but it fit him. Smiling, Keith slipped off the jacket and folded it over his arm and looked around for more clothes. Along with the jacket, Keith found a black short sleeves shirt, a pair of stretchable pants, a pair of white and red boots that matched the jacket. Keith paused when he saw a pair of fingerless gloves, like the ones Shiro and Hunk wore.

Keith picked them up from the shelf and slipped them on, smiling, Keith closed his fingers into a fist. Liking the way they molded against his arms, he decided to add those to the pile of clothes he was getting. Keith also bought a belt that reminded him of Shiro’s.

Giddily, Keith walked over towards the counter and placed the item in front of him, ears perked straight up and facing forward. Keith watched as the alien scanned each item then bag them.

“You said, first purchase not first item,” Keith said smiling innocently and pointed towards the large black bag, “that is my first purchase,” he added. The alien gave him a disgruntled look and placed the bag on the counter and punched in a key on the large computer, it gave a ding sound and a thin receipt printed out.

“No returns,” he stated handing the receipt to Keith who stuffed it in his bag with a smile, he was just about to leave when a pair of awesome looking shoes caught his eyes, he stopped and backed up a bit. Keith pointed towards the shoes, “how much are those?” he asked.

The shopkeeper turned around with his long gray arms, he pulled the shoes off the shelf and scanned it.

“five hundred GAC,”

Frowning, Keith pulled out his pouch from where it was tied around his hip, he had enough money but he wished he had seen it sooner, Keith handed him a pile of coins then stuffed the shoes in his bag.

“Thank you,” he said waving and ran off, he ignored the ‘wait’ from the shopkeeper and kept running. Swinging his bag beside him, Keith continued on looking for scultrite lenses, but mostly he kept on looking for items that he would like to buy.

Shopping was fun, but it wasn’t fun anymore when he ran out of GAC to spend.

Keith frowned at his empty pouch, he peeked inside and stared at the black void, he spent the last of his GAC on a new bodysuit, his purple one was getting old and he was tired of looking at it. Keith also bout a pair of hair clips to pull the bangs off his face whenever he was training.

Sighing, Keith tied the sad empty pouch back to his hip and decided on checking the second level for the scultrite lenses. After walking for what felt Vargas, he slowed down when he saw a knife shop, curiously he walked over to the small crowd and saw an Unilu advertising his knife, it looked interesting enough but knowing how sly Unilu’s were, he knew that he would never buy anything from them.

When the crowd disappeared, Keith stepped forward, to ask the question that was bothering him since yesterday, he pulled out his knife and showed it to the shopkeeper. Maybe if he knew where the blade came from, he might have a lead to his parents or something. None of Galra back at the blades knew of his parents.

Unilu’s were sly but they were also very knowledgeable, the only adaptable and most far spread creatures of the universe, they can leave on for decapheebs, they know almost everything and could pinpoint any vintage item and where it came from.

“I know you stole it, kid,”

Irritated, Keith glared at the smug Unilu, he reached for the knife when it was pulled back from him. Gritting his teeth, Keith fought back and ended up in a quick knife fight before successfully grabbing his knife and bolting off, he ignored the threats from the Unilu and kept on running.

Keith skid around the corner and barely dodged an oncoming family with their child, he ignored their curses and slowed down in front of the bathroom, deciding it was the safest place to hide, Keith bolted towards the left side with the blue sign and hide inside one of the stalls.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Keith leaned against the stall and caught his breath, he could hear the other aliens shifting outside, going about their business. Keith licked his lips and stood up straighter, there was a small zing off the pain that went through his knee that had him buckling and catching himself against the stall.

He must’ve hurt his knee while running, the same knee he injured while they were training a while back.

Keith sat up again and peeked out of the stall, cautiously he slipped out and went to wash his hands, he had no idea what kind of germs were in the bathroom, considering the different kinds of aliens occupying the bathroom. With his hands washed, he walked out and frowned when he saw Hunk hovering in front of the bathroom.

Keith gasped when Hunk jerked him close by his shoulders.

“You gotta help me, buddy!”

“Wh-whoa, what’s going on?” he demanded, glaring at Hunk.

They heard the familiar sounds of beeping and they both turned towards a Galra on a mall scooter, he pointed towards them with a grin.

“A-ha! Space pirate number two!” he shouted.

“Run!”

\-----s

“What’d  _you_ get?” Pidge asked squinting at the bags that clutched tightly in Keith’s hands. Pidge sat across from him, clutching her game tightly to her chest and frowning curiously at the bags. Lance was sulking beside her with a huge patch on his forehead, Hunk was in the front with Coran.

“I got clothes…human clothes,” he said hesitantly, it perked her curiosity and even Lance turned away from his sulking corner and stare at the bag with narrowed suspicion.

“You went shopping without me? If you were going to buy clothes, you should’ve asked me, I could’ve helped you,” Lance said and reached for one of the bags but Keith yanked it out of his reach. Lance whined and went for it again, but Keith tucked the bags behind his back, it made him looked weird since his belly and chest were out jutting but it stopped Lance form trying to grab it.

“Rude,” Lance muttered and crossed his arms again then yelped when the pod jerked.

 _“Sorry! That was my fault! Anyway, we landed, out you go!”_ Coran shouted through the comms, the pod from the back opened up and they climbed out one by one, although Lance was being sneaky and offered Keith to go in front of him but with a scowl slipping on Keith's lips, Lance bolted out of the pod with Keith smugly climbing out after him.

They walked into the castle towards the Bridge where Allura was waiting for them, Keith raised an eyebrow at her hair but didn’t question it. Keith looked around and noticed that Shiro wasn’t in sight.

“Where’s Shiro?” he asked suddenly, the door opened behind him and Shiro appeared rubbing his head with a far-off look.

“You alright?” Allura asked, “Did you fall asleep in the hangar?” she added.

“Not exactly…is that a cow?” Shiro asked raised both of his brows at the cow chilling behind Lance.

“Mhm, his name is Kalternecker!”

The cow mowed and Keith blinked and turned to look at Shiro who shook his head at Lance but there was a smile on his face, “Did you find a way to bond with your lion?” he asked. Shiro nodded and he crossed his arms.

“I did, now all we have left to do is head to the Blade of Marmora quarters,” Shiro said and turned to Coran who nodded.

“I’ll set up the Scultrite lenses while Allura can plot a course for the headquarters,” Coran said.

“While you’re busy with that, I’m going to set up the game Lance and I bought,” Pidge said running out of the room towards the lounge with Lance following after her, Hunk followed less enthusiastically and gave Keith and Shiro a smile on his way out.

“Looks like you bought something as well,” Shiro said eyeing the bags Keith was holding behind his back.

Keith’s cheeks flushed a dark purple and he ducked his head and shrugged, “Just some clothes I found,” he murmured.

“Clothes? Like earth clothes?” Shiro asked curiously, Shiro got his answer when Keith kept quite and his cheeks darkened.

“You want me to help you?” Shiro asked, Keith bit his lip and hesitated, “Thank you but I think I can handle it,” Keith said and quickly scurried out of the room.

Amused, Shiro shook his head and went to help Allura with the course.

\---

Keith yelped when there was a knock on the door and he quickly grabbed the blanket and threw it over his shoulders and covered his body with the blanket.

“Wh-who is it?” he called.

“Shiro. Can I come in? You’ve been hiding for quite some time,” Shiro said.

Keith shook his head then internally smacked himself when he realized that Shiro couldn’t see him.

“U-Uh, no it is okay! I’m fine, just a bit tired!” Keith called.

“…Keith, you don’t have to be embarrassed to wear earth clothes, we won’t laugh,” Shiro said. Keith bristled and he glared at the door. “I am not embarrassed!” he shouted.

“Okay then let me in,” Shiro stated.

Keith made a face and stomped his foot like a temperamental child. “It is not because of the clothes! I  _really_ am just tired!”

“So, you’re not hiding?”

“No,”

“Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent sure!”

Keith silently shuffled closer, his ears twitched when he caught the sound of Shiro shuffled on the outside.

“Do you really want to come inside?” Keith asked he heard a huff which sounded like a laugh and Keith ears flattened.

“Yeah, I really do,” Shiro answered.

Keith bit his lip, he quickly gathered up the blanket around his legs and shuffled towards his bed, he quickly sat down and pulled the blanket over his head and adjusted it around his legs, so Shiro couldn’t see anything.

“Okay, you can enter!” Keith called.

When Shiro entered, he wasn’t expecting this, he held back a laugh when he saw Keith bundled up on the bed and only his purple face and large floppy ears peeking out from the beige blanket.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked coming over to sit on the edge of the bed, Keith averted his eyes and Shiro followed the gaze towards the empty shopping bags on the floor, he tilted his head at the long white and red boots laying on the ground and then turned back to Keith who had turned a dark shade of purple.

“I suppose you were correct, I am embarrassed,” Keith muttered. Shiro smiled and he reached to grab the corner of the blanket, he gently pulled it back when a leg shot out and smacked him in the chest.

“Wait!” Keith cried.

Shiro grunted at the impact and stared down at the horrendous shoe on Keith’s foot.

“Is—is that what I think it is?” Shiro breathed, Keith shot his leg back inside the blanket but Shiro quickly grabbed onto Keith’s ankle and held on tight.

“Let go!” Keith whined but Shiro choked back a laugh, “How in the hell did you manage to find these at an alien space mall!” Shiro demanded while choking back laughter.

“Let me go! I knew you would laugh! I hate you!” Keith cried shooting his other leg out to kick Shiro’s arm which made him release Keith’s ankle. Keith shot his legs back inside and curled into himself.

“Oh shit, Keith, I was kidding,” Shiro said quickly when he realized that Keith was actually upset. Keith glared at him and shook his head, “Go, I do not want to see you,” he muttered.

“Awe come on, I was kidding. Okay, okay, I’m sorry, see? Please come out, I wanna see your whole outfit, I won’t laugh,” Shiro promised to hold up his hands.

Keith debated and pursed his lips. Shiro already saw the shoes, might as well show him everything. Keith nodded and wiggled to the side so he could throw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up.

Shiro stood up as well and his eyes shot down to those horrendous red crocs and a slip of black tights around the ankles.

Keith hesitated but he slowly pushed the blanket off his shoulders, he folded it messily and tossed it back on the bed which landed with a muffled ‘thump.’ Keith crossed his arm tightly in front of him and shifted uncomfortably.

“Are you going to laugh?” Keith demanded with a frown but Shiro smiled and shook his head, “I like it, it suits you,” Shiro said honestly.

Keith wore a pair of black tights with a similar fanny pack belt, fingerless gloves, a plain black shirt with a red leather cropped jacket that had a high white color.

“Really?” Keith murmured loosening up a bit, he didn’t feel so tense when Shiro nodded with a smile.

“What’d you think the team will say? Do you think they’ll laugh?” Keith asked curiously stepping forward, Shiro shook his head although he felt guilty for not informing Keith about the crocs.

“Nah, I think they’ll like it, especially your crocs,”

“Crocs…?”

“The shoes on your wearing, they're called crocs…”

“Oh,”

“Do you want to go and show them?” Shiro asked, Keith nodded excitedly, and he jogged over towards the door, “Hurry, I want to see their expressions!” Keith called running out once the door opened.

Shiro followed Keith less enthusiastically, although it was for show because, in the end, Keith grabbed onto his wrist and made him jog alongside him. Shiro laughed at Keith’s child-like excitement, “Slow down!” he called laughing. Keith threw a grin over his shoulder and tugged him harder.

Keith skidded to a halt a few steps away from the lounge room, Shiro barreling into him, Keith stumbled then pushed back.

“I’m scared, do you think they’ll laugh?” Keith said staring at the door then turning around to frown up at Shiro.

“Nah, if anything, I think they’ll be excited to know that your part human,” Shiro said he playfully gave Keith’s shoulder a small punch who gave one in return although Keith didn’t understand the ‘playful’ part.

Shiro grunted and rubbed his shoulder while Keith grinned and took a deep a breath before turning around and entering the room carefully.

Keith found Pidge sulking in the corner while Hunk was staring a few pieces of metal and wires while holding up a huge gray metal box, Lance hugged Hunk from the behind while watching him work with a curious expression.

Lance was the first one to look up and his eyes widened while he gapped at Keith who shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

“Bro, what the fuck are you wearing?” Lance cried, Hunk snapped his head up and then Pidge who frowned at Keith then her eyes widened.

“I’m part human,” Keith said bluntly crossing his arms and he shrugged, “Surprise…and that is why um I-I bought earth clothes from that earth shop you bought your game from,” he added.

“You’re human!”

“Part human,” Keith corrected Lance who jumped away from Hunk and jogged over, “Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen you wear something other than your— _WHAT THE FUCK ARE THOSE!?”_

“My Crocs, do you like them?”

“Nooo!”

Keith frowned at Lance who looked like he was ready to rip off his hair, he started muttering ‘no, no, no’ under his breath then went to sit on the couch and stared-off kind off dazed.

“Ignore him, you look good Keith,” Hunk said getting up and walking over, he pointed towards the gloves then wiggled his own fingers, “Heh, like mine, right?” he said.

Keith flushed and nodded, he held out his hands towards Hunk who grabbed Keith’s hand, fingers running over the soft leather. “I like it,” Hunk said.

“Thank,” Keith murmured feeling slightly embarrassed, Pidge was next and she squinted at Keith, “So, you’re human? Your mother or your father?” she asked.

“My father,” Keith answered.

“Huh, that explains the name,” Pidge said tapping her chin then wrinkled her nose at the shoes, “Gotta say, your choice of clothes is impeccable,” she said.

“Thanks…I think?” Keith said not knowing if she was serious or joking around.

“Well, it doesn’t matter if you’re part alien, part human, or part whatever, we’ll expect you no matter what…even if you wear crocs,” Pidge said grinning.

“Take em off, take em off, take em off,” Lance muttered from his spot on the couch. “Awe, come on Lance you don’t like crocks?” Pidge teased.

“They did have other colors, I think I saw a blue one,” Keith offered.

“No!”

“We’re totally going back to buy crocs, it’ll be a Voltron symbol,” Hunk teased

“No!”

“Saving the universe with crocs, I kind of like that,” Shiro said laughing.

_“Noooo!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update  
> If there's any mistakes, please please tell me, I've did a quick edit and once this whole story is finished, i'm going to go back and edit it fully.
> 
> Comments  
> kudos  
> bookmarks.  
> anythings fine.


	16. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY! AFTER SO LONG, I UPLOADED ANOTHER CHAPTER!
> 
> ENJOY!

The Blade of Marmora was a few galaxies away and they had just set up their scultrite lenses, Allura did an experimental jump but they came out just as quickly as they entered, so while Pidge and Hunk were helping Coran set up the lenses, they decided to fly through the galaxies the traditional way. Hoping that they don’t run into Zarkon or other Galra on the way there.

Keith had taken off his crocs and saved those for a more relaxed day, right now he wore his new boots, they felt lighter on his feet then the Galra boots and he liked how they felt. Even Shiro said they looked good on him, Lance just made a face and went to sulk near the Princess.

“ _So, if you’re human? Why are you purple?”_

 _“OH my god Lance, you can’t just ask people why they're purple!”_ Hunk had gasped before both of them erupted into giggles even Shiro looked amused, but Pidge just rolled her eyes.

“How much further?” Keith asked peeking around Shiro at the tab he was holding, Keith frowned when Shiro didn’t respond, he looked up at Shiro who was frowning at the tab, his brows furrowed and his eyes looked slightly glazed over.

“Shiro?” Keith called standing up straight, he reached up a hand to gently rested it on Shiro’s bicep. Shiro blinked rapidly and both of his eyebrows raised before he turned to Keith with a confused expression.

“Hm? Did you need something?” Shiro asked.

“Are you alright?” Keith asked worriedly, Shiro managed a weak smile and nodded, “Sorry I got kind of dozed off, but we’re almost there,” Shiro said and moved away. Keith’s hands fell back down beside him and he watched Shiro leave and head over towards the princess, he showed her his tab and she nodded before gently turning the ship towards the east of their original direction they were heading.

Keith walked over and paused when Lance narrowed his eyes at him, “We need to talk,” Lance said grabbing Keith’s wrist and yanking him away from the group.

Keith let himself be pulled away by Lance until they were in the middle of the hallways, far away from the Bridge, Lance slowed to a stop but his grip didn’t release from Keith’s wrist instead it tightened.

“Are you alright?” Keith asked. Lance yanked his hand away and crossed his arms, stuffing his hands in his underarms. He looked upset and almost ready to cry.

“Lance…”

“Do you think Shiro likes Allura?” Lance said quickly, Keith paused and he raised an eyebrow at Lance, the thought was foreign and it never crossed Keith’s mind, the thought was sort of unnerving thinking about it now. Keith ignored the slight annoyance in his chest and shook his head.

No, Shiro would never like Allura—not because she  _wasn’t_ beautiful it was because they didn’t have a connection or attraction…did they?

“You’re thinking too much Lance, I’m sure Allura has no feelings towards Shiro,” Keith said bluntly, Lance looked even more nervous know and he peeked over Keith’s shoulder and grabbed onto his wrist again and dragged him further down the hall until they were in front of Lance’s bedroom.

“Look…I get it sometimes, we don’t get along but that doesn’t mean I  _don’t_ like you, I do like you but you know what ha-ha let’s forget this talk, just come inside,” Lance said placing his hand against the keypad, it beeped once before the door hissed open.

Keith’s brows rose when he saw Pidge and Hunk already inside, the lights were slightly dim and Hunk was hunched over the game console that Pidge bought at the Space Mall, he was fiddling what looked like a three-colored wire and small black device with copper wires sticking out of it.

“Oh hey!” Hunk said once he looked up from his work, an easy-going smile spread across his face and Keith felt his tense shoulders give away and he offered Hunk a smile in return with an awkward wave.

“Sup Dweeb, sup Goofball,” Pidge said not looking up from what looked like a small glossy booklet.

“Am I the Dweeb?” Keith asked going over to sit down next to Hunk, the only person he felt the most comfortable with.

“Yeah sure,” Pidge said snickering, Lance grinned and plopped down beside Pidge and looked over her shoulder at the booklet.

“Um…why am I here?” Keith asked after a while looking around, Lance’s room looked…lived in, there were food wrappers everywhere, his bed was unkept and he had his robe and slippers near his bathroom on the floor. It looked far different this his room.

“Uh…to hang?” Lance said looking over at him with a ‘duh’ expression. Keith bristled and his eyes narrowed, he hated that feeling, the feeling of someone looking down on him. “To hang? Why? We should be training, we do not know when the next will happen—”

“—Yo man, you gotta chill,” Lance said raising both of his hands slowly looking slightly annoyed, Keith harrumphed and crossed his arms.

“Lance’s right…we’re still kids man, having an off day won’t do us harm and besides if we train every second, we’ll be exhausted,” Hunk said not looking up from his tweaking.

“I do not understand humans—”

“—exactly, that’s why you’re here to hang out to act more ‘human’” Lance said, he moved over to the side so Pidge could crawl out of the bed, she landed on the floor and skootched over towards Hunk who moved slightly to the side to let Pidge peek over his shoulder.

“I think that piece goes there,” Pidge said nodding over towards the green cube, smaller than the tip of Keith’s claw.

“Oh thanks,” Hunk said picking up the cube with a tweezer before placing it in the box, it made a weird whirring sound before there was a sound of a soft click.

“Good eye,” Hunk added with a grin, Pidge grinned back and snuggled closer.

“I wanna snuggle too!” Lance whined rolling over off the bed and landing with a loud thump before scooting over and snuggling on the other side of Hunk, Pidge gave him a disgruntled look when Lance’s hand bumped against hers which were around Hunk’s large stomach.

“I prefer not to be touched,” Keith said eyeing the trio with a confused expression, he tensed when Pidge sent him a coy smile with eyes narrowed.

“I’m sure you won’t mind if it’s  _Shirooo~”_

Keith spluttered and his cheeks heated up when all three of them burst into giggles, “I  _do_ mind!” Keith shouted crossing his arms tighter.

“Oh! Speaking of Shiro, I need some dating or flirting advice,” Lance said.

Pidge raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips, she gave a quick look to Keith before turning back to Lance who smiled at her innocently.

“Are-are you trying to flirt with Shiro cause I think Keith would mind that,” she said.

Keith exhaled sharply from his nose and glared at Lance whose cheeks heated up and he quickly flailed, “N-no! not Shiro! Hahaha! I mean it’s not that he’s ugly but he’s not my type and  _will you stop glaring at me!_ I like…I like Allura…” Lance ended softly with a fiddle of his thumbs.

“Allura?”

Lance flushed harder and he scratched the back of his roughly, “Yes Allura!” he hissed pouting.

“I’m surprised,” Pidge muttered

“I’m not actually,” Hunk stated with a smile.

“You like Allura?” Keith asked scooting closer, he didn’t realize how much he scooted away when the other two came closer, Lance ignored Keith and pouted harder. He looked like a kit, it was amusing sight and Keith held back a smile.

“I’m surprised too ya know, I mean yeah she’s attractive and she’s a princess and did I say she’s attractive? Oh yeah, I don’t know, I guess it happened like it turned into a hardcore rush and I even think about it when I’m trying to sleep,” Lance murmured.

“Ew,”

“Not like that!” Lance shouted glaring at Pidge who gave him a dead stare shrug. Lance huffed and went back to fiddling with his fingers, as amusing it was, it was also very weird. Lance was usually, loud, every word spitting was filled with arrogance, there was always an aura of pride and ego around him but now he was reduced to a slumped lump _,_ his arrogant words were know meek and kind of hesitant, his aura was reduced down to being self-conscious. All in all, he was afraid.

“Can you not just go up and tell her?” Keith said.

Lance glared at him and his shoulders straightened up, “That’s the dumbest advice I heard,” he stated.

Keith’s jaw clenched and he tensed up, “you asked for my advice and I have given it to you!” Keith growled he could feel his claws extending and there was a tick in his jaw.

“How about this—talk to me when you confess to Shiro with that exact advice,” Lance shot back.

“I do not like Shiro and neither does Shiro like me!”

“Ohoh that’s rich, yeah okay, you keep thinking,” Lance scoffed.

“Guys come on, we came to have a good time,” Hunk pleaded.

“I do not understand why you brought me here when you do not even like my advice and taunt me mercilessly! I have done nothing wrong!” Keith shouted standing up to his feet, he went to the door and ignored Lance’s call.

“Come on man! I didn’t mean it like that!”

Keith shoved out of the door before it could fully open and stalked down the hall, he ignored Lance’s rapid footfalls and calling.

Keith turned the corner and he collided hard with Shiro who reached out to grab when Keith fell back. It happened so quickly that barely all three of them could process what was going on only until later when Shiro was on the floor, two long claw marks cutting through his muscle shirt and blood was seeping out.

“Oh no,” Keith breathed, he quickly knelt next to Shiro who was breathing hard and staring at the marks.

“I am sorry,” Keith said quickly reaching for Shir’s wounded arm Shiro flinched away from Keith’s touch turning to stare at him, eyes wide and sweat already forming.

“I—”

“Dude, we gotta get you to the infirmary!” Lance cried reached down to grab Shiro’s arm and hauling him up, Keith went to grab his other arm when Shiro again flinched away, not saying a word.

Keith swallowed hard and he ignored the sharp pain in his chest, he lowered his hands silently to his side and ignored Lance’s worried look between them.

“It’s just Keith buddy, I can’t get you to the infirmary by myself,” Lance said gently, Shiro clenched his eyes shut and pulled his metal hand away from Lance’s hold and stared at the ground, his breathing getting heavier with every second, the blood was now soaking his shirt and a single trail moved past his wrist and forming a small drop at the end of his middle finger before slowly falling and landed roughly on the cold floor.

“I can walk myself,” Shiro said roughly blinking out of his haze and grabbed his arm with his metal arm, the blood seeping out and sliding in the crevices of his arm. He started walking towards the infirmary with Lance hovering beside him. Keith a few steps behind him, he could feel his heart race, his bottom lip was trembling and he kept his tears at bay.

Once they reached the room, Shiro sat down on one of the benches and pulled off his vest and flinched when either of them tried to help. Lance distracted himself by calling Coran and trying to get the cream to clean up the wounds.

Keith hovered hesitantly beside Shiro and crossed his hands tightly behind him, to stop himself from trying to help Shiro.

With one hand, Shiro gritted his teeth and peeled off his undershirt, he sighed in relief and tossed it on the floor beside his vest. Keith’s eyes wondering over the many scars littering Shiro’s chest—now there were two more adding into the count, another one caused by a Galra.

Keith bit his lip and stepped back, he lowered his gaze and ignored the blood steadily dripping down Shiro’s arm.

“Oh dear, what happened here,” Coran said once entering the room.

“It was my—”

“—Accident, it was an accident,” Lance quickly said cutting off Keith who gave him a confused look but Lance smiled and held up two tubes, “Are these correct?” he asked Coran who wiggled his mustache and shook his head.

Shiro didn’t say anything, he just stared at the two new marks on his arm and clenched his arm tightly. Keith chewed the side of his cheek before stepping forward and softly speaking up so Coran and Lance couldn’t hear.

“I am sor—”

“—Keith,” Shiro said firmly.

Keith clamped his mouth shut and stepped back again, he could feel his eyes tear up again and he cleared his throat. “I-I should go,” he said loudly.

“Oh? But you must make sure Shiro get to his room properly,” Coran called and held up a small tube in the light before nodding to himself and walking over.

“There’s Lance, I-I really have to go,” Keith said taking a step back but Coran cleared his throat. “I suppose I should let you go but considering that you’re the only one with sharp claws to make this mess, I do believe it is  _your_ responsibility to make sure Shiro’s cleaned up not Lance’s,” Coran said gently also firmly.

“It was an accident Coran,” Lance pipped up, Coran gave Shiro a closed eye smile before cleaning off the wound with a wet towel.

“Accident or not but I do believe Keith should be responsible to make sure Shiro’s taken care of, Lance you may go,” Coran said and nobody moved, he cleared his throat and glared at Lance who squeaked.

“I am older then all three of you, so off you go,” Coran said firmly. Lance nodded and shuffled past them and headed out of the door. Keith cleared his throat and watched carefully as Coran cleaned the wound before squeezing a generous amount of clear cream on his finger before spreading it all over the wound.

“It may scar, considering how deep the wound is, give a few days to heal up but do not scratch it,” Coran said.

The word ‘scar’ had both Shiro and Keith wincing.

Coran ended the clean up with a tight gauze and tied it off with a small bow, he straightened up and twirled his mustache.

“All done! You two may leave—and Keith, make sure Shiro goes straight to his room and not off to train or back to the bridge, I do not want to wound to open up again,” Coran ordered with a wink and sauntered off before either of them could say anything.

Keith stepped forward and this time, he ignored Shiro’s obvious flinch and reached down to grab the two garments before staring at Shiro who wouldn’t meet his eyes and kept his gaze on his wound.

“We should go,” Keith said. Shiro nodded and he slid off the table, Keith nodded to himself and started for the door. He could hear the soft footfalls behind him and took that as a good sign that Shiro was still following him.

“Oh no,”

They both looked up to see Allura pausing to stare at them shocked, “What happened?” she asked coming over towards them, Keith frowned and turned to Shiro.

“I scratched him…on accident of course,” he stated.

“Oh dear, are you alright, that looks painful,” Allura said walking over to Shiro and pressing her gentle fingers on the wound.

Keith’s brows furrowed and he ignored the ugly twist in his heart and bit his lips, it was a new feeling and it was a foreign feeling. He hated it.

“I’m fine,” Shiro said smiling at her.

The twist came again and Keith pressed a hand against his chest, it was an ugly feeling and Keith shifted uneasily.

“Get some rest,” Allura said smiling up at him then turning to Keith with a mock glare, “Make sure he gets his rest, I know he likes to sneak off to training deck, make sure his wounds are patched up before he goes to train,” Allura said with a wink, her eyes grazing over Shiro’s naked chest once more before leaving them.

Keith’s jaw clenched and he glared at the floor, he stepped back when Shiro walked by him and this time it was Keith following Shiro towards their room.

_Do you think Shiro likes Allura?_

Keith halted in his steps and he raised his head to glare at Shiro’s bare back which was slowly going farther and farther away from him, Keith turned to glare over his shoulder where Allura was once.

 _Stupid Lance,_ Keith thought and roughly shook his head and stared up again, speed walking towards Shiro who stopped suddenly and Keith bumped into his back, his nose prickling with pain from the bump against Shiro’s back.

“Did something happen?” Keith asked moving around Shiro to glare up at him only to pause when he saw the terrified look on Shiro’s face.

“Shiro? Shiro?” Keith called quickly reached up to grab Shiro’s stiff shoulder, Shiro started sweating again and his eyes glazed over. Keith cursed and dropped the clothes before reaching up to brush back Shiro’s bangs, his pinky soothing over the crease on Shiro’s forehead.

“Shiro, wake up, it’s okay, I’m here,” Keith whispered, repeating those words to Shiro until he finally came back with a gasp, his hands tightening on Keith’s biceps which he didn’t realize Shiro had grabbed.

“Let’s get you back to your room,” Keith said gently, he ignored the clothes and carefully walked backwards, his eyes on Shiro which kept glazing over again until Keith had to bring him back.

They finally reached Shiro’s room and Keith brought Shiro’s hands down to press against the keypad, the door opened a second later and Keith led Shiro inside and placed him on the bed before quickly walking into the bathroom, he grabbed a cup from the cupboard and poured in some water from the sink.

With a quick sniff and deeming it consumable, he walked back out to see Shiro's head burrowed in his hands, elbows digging into his knees and his breathing coming in loud heavy pants.

“Here,” Keith said kneeling between Shiro’s legs, he brought the edge of the cup to Shiro’s lip, “Drink,” Keith said firmly tilting the cup, Shiro lowered his hands and let it flop helplessly beside him and tilted his head back as Keith helped him.

Water dripped down the sides of his chin and sliding down his neck before drying out near his collarbone, Keith pulled the empty cup away and went to get some more when Shiro quickly reached out to grab his wrist roughly.

“Don’t. Don’t go. Stay.”

Keith slowly sat back down and stayed by Shiro’s side, waiting patiently.

“Fuck,” Shiro said laughing weakly, he bit his lip and used the back of his hand to wipe his eyes roughly, he winced when the muscles of his arm pulled against the wound.

“I’m sorry—”

“—Keith…I’m not mad, I realize that I caught you off guard just as you caught me off guard, I shouldn’t have reached for you,” Shiro said.

“But if you hadn’t, I would’ve fallen and yeah you should’ve let me fall, I wouldn’t have scratched up this badly…another scar added to your count by a Galra,” Keith said bitterly.

“I’m fine, Keith,” Shiro said then snorted, “Physically I suppose,” he added.

“This is not a laughing matter,” Keith stated with a glare.

“Sorry, sorry,”

“I’m sorry for accidentally scratching and triggering your trauma, it must be hard to see a Galra every day to know that you’ve been tortured by them endlessly,” Keith said gently.

“I’m fine,”

“If you say,  _‘I’m fine,’_ one more time, then I’ll make sure you’re  _not_ fine,” Keith threatened. Shiro smiled and he gently reached down to tweak Keith’s nose and rest his cheek against his metal hand.

“I know you’re not fine…please don’t lie to me, we’ve both been tortured by the Galra and—and I want to help and maybe you can help me as well…if you’re ever feeling not quite right, you can always talk to me and maybe vice versa? I think that’s the word,” Keith explained.

“Deal,” Shiro said instantly, not even hesitating once.

Keith ducked his head and smiled, he smothered his smile quickly and looked up at Shiro. “Although, if you want to talk to Allura too—that’s fine as well,” Keith added.

“I think I’m good with you, too many people then,” Shiro said smiling at him then added, “Besides it wasn’t you that exactly triggered me, I had a rough night as well, couldn’t sleep, kept waking up from nightmares,” Shiro explained.

“I still get those,” Keith admitted.

“Horrible, right? They just don’t go away,” Shiro said, “I wish I could find something to get rid of those,”

“I could ask Coran about it, I’m sure there’s an old remedy. Anyways you should rest, you look like you’re about to fall flat on your face,” Keith said pushing himself on his knees and gently pushing Shiro back from his shoulders until he landed sideways on his bed.

Keith ducked under one of Shiro’s legs and pushed them on the bed before getting up to sit down beside his ankles and taking off his boots then scooting closer to unclip his belt. Keith dropped them besides Shiro’s boots.

“I’m going to dim the lights,” Keith said getting up, Shiro nodded and held back the urge to keep Keith close and watched closely as he walked over to the light switch and slowly pushed down the thin lever until the lights were barely on and he could see Keith’s shadow move across the room, his yellow eyes glowing in the dark, slightly comforting then frightening.

“I’m also going to refill your water glass,” Keith said grabbing the cup and going back into the bathroom to fill the cup up before walking back out and placing it on Shiro’s bedside table.

“Stay?”

“I wasn’t planning on leaving until you told me to,” Keith said sitting down next to Shiro’s hips but frowned when Shiro tugged him closer.

“I—uh when I was little my mom used to play with my hair to help me fall asleep…” Shiro said sheepishly, Keith tilted is head confused until he got it a second later, with slightly flushed cheeks, he kicked off his boots before climbing on the bed, back pressed against the wall, knees folded and Shiro’s head resting on his lap.

“Comfy?” Keith asked hand hovering above Shiro’s hair, with a firm nod, Keith started combing his fingers through Shiro’s hair, softly at first, barely a whisper against the soft strands until Shiro grunted and Keith let his claws gently scratch at Shiro’s scalp.

He could feel the tension roll off the black paladin, his uneven breathing smoothed out, his breaths coming in small puffs from his parted lips, eyelashes shadowing his cheekbones.

“Shiro?”

All he got in response was a soft snore, Keith smiled and pushed back the thick tuft of white hair from Shiro’s forehead, his thumb and forefinger gently massaging the temple of Shiro’s head while his other hand kept brushing back the white tuft.

Keith leaned his head against the other side of the wall and continued on massing and combing through Shiro’s hair until he dozed off without realizing.

* * *

“Where are they!” Lance hissed slumping in his seat, Allura held up a finger against her lips and smiled, “I suppose Keith’s taking care of Shiro for the day, he’s been having a rough night and I hope Keith will help him calm down,” she said with a smile.

“Rough night? How’d you know?” Lance demanded with a narrow-eyed look.

“I’m not clueless Lance, I see from the security footage that he’s been in the training deck all night,” Allura said then winked at Pidge who pushed up her glasses with a thumbs up. “Besides it was Pidge who directed me to check the footage, she noticed out leader being quite worn out for the past few days,” she said.

“So…” Hunk trailed off with a grin, “Keith’s taking  _care_ of him huh?” he said with a giggle.

“Okay, ew, gross, Hunk, that’s our dad,” Pidge muttered from her seat.

“What! No! I was just sayin’!” Hunk cried feeling his cheeks heat up, although he did start the conversation. “Besides Shiro’s not our  _dad,_ ” he added.

“He sort-of is,” Lance said thinking about it, it was kind of true but also kind of not…? Or was it all true.

“He’s our space dad, you have to admit it. We’re the kids, Allura’s the rich, cool, smart cousin, Coran’s the space uncle and Keith’s the stepmom or dad,” Pidge said pushing up her glasses again with a smirk.

“Wow…you thought long and hard about this didn’t ya?” Lance murmured

“Of course, I have no shame,” Pidge answered back.

“How’d you know that Keith’s the step parent?” Lance shot back.

“Easy, Shiro’s injured, Keith’s obviously feeling guilty, won’t leave his side, Shiro’s emotionally and physically exhausted and Keith’s not going to leave until Shiro’s fully rested and asleep,” Pidge said.

“Tsk—tsk Pidge, I thought better of you, can’t believe you’re using Shiro’s PTSD to play cupid,” Lance cooed while clicking his tongue like a disapproving auntie.

“I am not!” Pidge cried.

“You sort of are,” Hunk answered back gently with a sheepish grin.

“Whatever, at least this will ease the tension between those two,” Pidge muttered crossing her arms with a pout.

“Space dad? Cousin? What on Altea are you three talking about? Are all of you related?” Allura asked cupping her cheeks.

“What? No—no we aren’t, it’s just a joke that Pidge started, we’re a messed up, diverse family, so yeah. Shiro’s the dad and etcetera—etcetera” Lance said waving his hands.

“Etcetera? What is in etcetera?” Allura asked curiously turning towards Lance.

“It means, so forth, on and on,” Hunk answered.

“Why do I feel like I heard that dialogue before…” Pidge wondered, narrowing her eyes.

“Ya, know, I’m getting that nostalgic feeling as well,” Lance answered.

“Me too,” Hunk said rubbing his jaw.

“Anyways, we should call Coran to wake them up, or one of you three go, we’re going to be reaching the Headquarters soon and I need them up and ready for it,” Allura said crossing her arms.

“I’m not walking in on them,” Pidge said quickly tapping her nose, Hunk followed just as quickly and Lance gapped at them before pointing fingers.

“Redo! I demand a redo, I wasn’t ready!”

“Tough,” Pidge stated.

“Yeah man, I don’t think I could go that fast again,” Hunk said laughing sheepishly.

“I hate both of you,” Lance said then glanced at Allura who was smiling at him innocently, a finger pressed against her nose. Even though Lance was annoyed, he found the little action so adorable that his cheeks heated up.

“You need to stop, one couple is enough and they aren’t even together yet,” Pidge stated, Lance looked away from Allura with a spluttered gasp and climbed out of his seat, he gave Pidge the finger before storming off out of the bridge and towards Shiro’s room.

Lance took his tip, slowly walking, admiring the plain white walls, whistling a happy tune, ‘accidentally’ getting lost while trying to find Shiro’s room. But in the end, he ended up in front of Shiro’s room, quicker then he thought and no amount of the longer routes and admiring walls stopped him.

Lance gave a rough knock and stepped back quickly. When there was no answer, he knocked again, this time twice. “Huh?” he started when there was no answer, he tiptoed closer to the door and pressed his ear against the cold door if he listening closely he could probably hear what was going on inside.

Lance got irritated when he heard the twin sounds of snores coming from inside the room. They were asleep.

“Wake up!” Lance shouted slamming his fist against the door, he kept knocking until the door hissed open and Shiro loomed in the doorway, shirtless and barefoot, eyes dark and glazed, hair mussed as if he someone was running his fingers through his hair.

“What Lance?” he demanded not hiding his irritation, Lance pursed his lips and crossed his arms, he peeked over Shiro’s arm that was barricading the door and saw Keith curled up against the corner of the wall, sound asleep.

“Allura’s asking for both of you to be present on the bridge when we arrive at the headquarters,” Lance stated.

“Fine, just give me two minutes,” Shiro muttered and slammed the door in Lance’s face.

“Thanks Lance for waking us up, oh thanks Lance for getting them, Thanks Lance for taking me to the infirmary when it should’ve been Keith, thank you lance, thanks, thanks, thanks…Where are my damn thanks!” Lance growled crossing his arms, sulking back towards the bridge.

Hunk was crowded around Pidge’s seat and staring at the screen with a dead set serious look, they both looked like they were plotting. Lance ignored them and went to plop down on his seat with a huff.

“Thank you, Lance,” Allura said gently walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle smile.

“Huh? Oh yeah! It’s no problem, ha-ha,” Lance said grinning, sitting up straight, Allura’s smile widened and she gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze before sliding it off and walking over towards the controls.

Lance scrunched up his shoulders happily and did a little dance in his seat before leaning his head to the side to sniff at his shoulders.

It smelled like flowers, and sweets, and most of all Allura.

“Can you stop being nasty, this is the second time I asked you,” Pidge said from her side.

“Quiet gremlin!” Lance shouted even her comment wouldn’t break his happy bubble, although what did break it was Shiro and Keith entering the room and settled down in their spots without offering Lance a second glance.

No thanks from them.

“How far are we away from the headquarters?” Shiro asked, he was back in leader mode and not like this sleep beast mode.

“We are about a few Vargas off,” Allura said.

“I would say exactly four Varga’s and like twenty minutes, considering the speed of the ship. Are we all ready?” Pidge asked.

“We should be, Keith?”

“I’m ready,”

“Good, keep the same speed, it’ll give us time to pull our plan together,” Shiro said getting up to walk over to Allura and discussing their plan.

Lance frowned and tilted his head.

Shiro was indeed attractive and so was Allura but they looked too good to be together besides Shiro was head over heels for a certain mullet-haired Galra who also head over heels for the leader.

Lance had nothing to worry about, he should be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I hope you guys liked it! I sure did enjoy writing this chapter.  
> next chapter will be the blade of Marmora! I'm super excited to write it and write a different scene with Keith's trails!
> 
> comments, kudos, bookmarks, ya girl doesn't mind, anythings fine!
> 
> if there are any mistakes please do tell me, so I can change them ASAP!


	17. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YO man look at me go!  
> Another update, che I'm so good at this :D *lies all lies*

“When did we decide that Keith was going with you!” Lance shouted staring disbelievingly at Shiro, Keith ignored Lance’s childish whine and stared at the screen in front of him. It had been forever since he saw what the Blade of Marmora looked like, the moment felt so surreal that it scared Keith just a bit.

“Keith, let’s go. We can’t waste any more time,” Shiro said also ignoring Lance who gapped at him then glared at Keith who walked past him without a single word. They both left the bridge silently and Lance stomped over to his spot and slumped down.

“Grow up Lance, we all knew it was Keith who was positive on entering the Headquarters,” Pidge said setting up her screen to show the pathway inside of the two black holes, it looked risky and dangerous, but she had faith in Keith’s piloting skills and the red lion was small enough to handle the thin passageway.

“Oh, there they are! Wow that was fast,” Hunk commented pointing towards the larger screen where they saw red lion zoom past them and straight towards the headquarters, it disappeared in the mist and they all went to huddle behind Pidge to see the movements of the lion.

“It should be an easy trip for Keith, I’m sure he’s flown in and out of the base many times,” Coran commented and just as he said that Pidge’s screen blared red as the red lion flew out of track and started heading towards one of the black holes.

“NO! Keith pull yourself out of there!” Hunk shouted and before he could finish his sentence, Keith was back on track. Pidge who gave him a dead stare, “I can’t hear anything out of right ear now thanks to you,” she muttered. Hunk gave her a sheepish grin and shrugged.

The lion disappeared the two boulders closed the entrance to the headquarters, all of them sighed in relief and slumped their shoulders. “Now we wait, shouldn’t be too long,” Lance said crossing his arms over his back and stretching out his legs.

“Yeah, I mean Keith is already a member of the Blade, they’ll probably already planning battle plans and stuff or relaxing,” Hunk said taking off his headband and retying it over his bangs.

* * *

“We never agreed about a trail, all we ask is for an ally to fight beside us against Zarkon’s Empire,” Shiro said firmly, it was a strange place, it was lowkey, well hidden, and super secretive. All of them wore these dark purple masks with glowing LED eyes that had Shiro shifting uncomfortably. Other Galra’s were already closing up behind them, slowly forming a circle to keep them inside. Keith somehow looked unfazed and stared at the leader dead on.

“I accept the trails—”

“—Keith are you crazy! He’s talking about death!”

“I’ll be fine,” Keith said turning his head gently to smile at Shiro before turning back to the leader with a determined expression.

“It’s done, you’ll need to suit up Kit,” Kolivan said stepping down from his steps to stand in front of Keith who looked instantly looked smaller standing in front of Kolivan.

Shiro shook his head and looked between them, it was useless to argue, Keith was too hotheaded and stubborn to back down from a challenge. Shiro jerked when he felt a large clawed hand on his upper arm, he looked over his shoulder just in time to see the large Galra Blade member jerk him back, away from Kolivan and Keith.

“Where are you talking me?” Shiro demanded, yanking his free from the Galra who didn’t answer him but pushed him towards the exit, Shiro stumbled and he held back a curse, he did give the Galra a glare and followed the small crowd out of the room.

They led him into a larger room, a huge screen further back in the room, it looked like the control room. Shiro walked up to the back of the room and glared up at the blank screen, it didn’t feel right, it felt off. Shiro didn’t have much time to back out when the screen flickered once before turning on, showing off a huge arena.

Shiro’s heart leaped when he saw Keith standing there in the front of the room, his clothes gone and instead he was wearing the uniform of the Blades, looking even smaller in the large room.

“Knowledge or Death, black paladin,” Kolivan said coming up from behind and watched with his glowing eyes through his mask as the platform opened and a large Galra slowly came out of it.

* * *

 

“I suppose I was not supposed to go through that door,” Keith whispered falling against the wall while holding up his shoulder, he could feel it pulse and his gloved fingers felt damp with the blood.

His vision faded and Keith stumbled forward, before falling to his side with a pained grunt, he whimpered and his hand fell from his shoulder beside him with a solid thud before he blacked out.

When he woke up again, there was a blurred vision of Shiro standing there, a confused yet impressed look on his face. Keith helpless reached for Shiro who helped him up and stepped back, a weird gap between them.

“Shiro?” he murmured.

“You did great Keith, I’m impressed, the Blade of Marmora are impressed as well, even everyone at Voltron is too,” Shiro said smiling at him.

“Really? I finished the trails,” Keith said stepping forward, he wobbled a bit and lowered his hand from his shoulder back to his side.

“Yeah, I told  _everyone_ back at the Castle about your trails, they were impressed and Lance is super jealous. You had him beat Keith, you’re the best of the best,” Shiro said, Keith frowned at him and looked around, ignoring the twinge of pain in his shoulder.

“I do not want to be the best,” Keith said and felt his stomach churn when Shiro’s smile faded into a frown, Shiro crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, “Then what  _do_ you want Keith. You don’t want to be the best, but you also don’t want to be the worst, make up your mind,” he snapped and averted his gaze. It was a whole 360 personality change and Keith was so confused on what he said that had Shiro acting like this.

“I just wanna be Keith,” Keith whispered taking a step back, Shiro threw up his arms and gave Keith a dumbfounded look, “You can’t just be  _Keith,_ you’re a paladin of Voltron and now—a member of the Blades…and you do realize what that means right?” Shiro said lowly, Keith shook his head and he winced at Shiro’s scoff.

“You do realize that you passing the trails means your part of the Blades right, you’re going to have to choose, us or the Blades. You either fight with Voltron or fight with the Blades. It shouldn’t be a hard choice, right?” Shiro said raising his chin.

“Choose? Why would I have to choose?” Keith asked confusing bring up his hand back to cup his shoulder, the pain was now unbearable and he was visibly uncomfortable.

“You know why, Keith. You can’t be selfish and choose both, it doesn’t work like that,” Shiro stated.

“I can’t choose,”

“Why? I thought this would be an easy chose, we’re your family right, we’ve been your family since the day you came to us. Remember who hurt you, tormented you, emotionally and physically abused you—the Galra did, you want to trust your life back to the Galra,” Shiro said and held out his hand.

“Come with me, you belong with Voltron, your new family,”

 _Family…is that what they are, what Shiro is_ —a  _family._

Keith thought, he blinked away from his thoughts and he turned to Shiro with a more determined face. “Shiro—you’re like a brother to me, but I do not think I could choose between Voltron and the Blades,” he said.

Shiro’s face hardened, brows furrowing, eyes turning into a dark glare, anger swirling in those usual calm gray eyes. Shiro dropped his hand and his jaw clenched, “Fine then, you chose to be alone, you are not welcomed back to Voltron, I’m sure finding a new Paladin shouldn’t be that difficult,” he snapped and turned around swiftly, heading for a door that Keith didn’t notice until it started opening, light pouring in and surrounding Shiro’s parting figure.

“Shiro! Wait!” Keith shouted stumbling forward, he held back his pained grunts and chased after Shiro as fast as he could, but instead of finding Shiro, he found himself in a small familiar looking hut, dark hardened mud doming over his head, there were two large mats, made up of softened leaves, straws, and cloth, all patched together, oval-shaped pillows, and a small tub in the back.

It all looked so familiar, a memory at the back of his mind that had been lost forever until now, beside the mat was a pair of childlike clothes with little small boots and socks. Keith swallowed roughly, he could feel the pinprick of tears forming in his eyes.

“…Keith…”

An all too familiar voice, Keith held his breath and squeezed his eyes shut before turning around, his bottom lip wobbled and he slowly opened his eyes, his tears fell like a river when he saw a teary-eyed vision of a man standing by the door.

A familiar face man. Keith gasped for air, his chest heaving, fingers clenching repeatedly beside him as the man smiled, he tilted his head and Keith swallowed roughly and sniffed.

“Papa,” Keith whispered taking a step forward, the man reached forward, handing up as if to cup Keith’s cheek but to Keith’s horror, it felt right through his skin, leaving behind a cold unsettling feeling against his cheek.

“Ah…this isn’t real,” Keith’s father said smiling sadly, eyes familiar shaped as Keith’s, dark hair, thick brows with a scar going through on, a light stubble, white skin, all too like Keith’s human skin.

“You grew, not the small baby I remember,” Shiro’s father said pulling back his hand and crossing his arms as if holding himself back from crushing Keith to his chest.

“It’s been years,” Keith said and glanced away then quickly glanced back as if the image of his father wouldn’t be there if he looked away for too long.

“Is— _was_ this my home?” Keith asked.

Keith’s father nodded, their eyes never leaving each other, Keith’s father stepped closer, walking around Keith towards a small mud dried shelf in the dome—Keith turning with his father, keeping a close eye on him—he picked up clothed doll, it was dark purple, frayed, one of the button eyes lose. Keith’s dad smiled at the doll, thumb going over the little doll’s Galra ears

“Your mother made this for you when she found out that she was pregnant,” Keith’s father said turning to Keith and held out the doll. Keith hesitantly took it, surprisingly the doll was solid and warm to the touch. Keith looked down at the doll, turning it over so those two small black button eyes stared up at him, his thumb went over the ears just like his father did and he could imagine the soft plush feeling under his gloved fingers.

 The doll looked well loved and it brought a smile to his face, he had no memory of the doll but he could just imagine him sleeping beside his papa and mama, doll tucked in his arms and him tucked between them.

“Where is mama?” Keith asked looking up, his dad looked away and shrugged, “truthfully Keith, I have no idea. She was on an important Blade mission and hadn’t returned yet, it’s been weeks Keith—”

A sudden explosion outside broke off his father’s speech, they both stumbled to the right and grabbed onto the wall to keep their balance. Keith turned away from his dad and strode over towards the small window, he pulled back the cloth and looked to see what had caused the explosion.

Keith’s heart stopped when he saw who was coming up from the hill, thick purple cape fluttering behind him from the harsh winds, dark gray smoke behind him, rising high above the skies, covering the beautiful blue sky. Galra Soldiers beside him, fighter pilots zooming over his head, breaking through the gray smoke.

_Use that anger to fuel your energy, remember what they did to you, remember that you are not weak. Use that anger when you’re up against any opponent._

Kolivan’s words came back to him during the time he was healing at the Blades.

Keith’s grip on his dagger tightened and he his fear turned into anger then to hot white rage. Keith gritted his teeth and he pulled away from the small window and placed his palm flat on the door beside him.

“Revenge is not always a good thing,”

Keith paused and turned to stare at his father, sad eyes with a sad sympathetic smile. The expression only fueled Keith’s anger even more.

“You do not understand what  _he_ did to me! You weren’t there! Nobody was there! I was alone! I’ve always been alone!” Keith shouted pointing with his knife towards the window.

Keith’s father shook his head but didn’t move from his spot, “I can't imagine what you’ve gone through and I’m so sorry that I hadn’t been there but I don’t want to see my son become a killer,” he said.

There was another explosion, this time much further away, muffled from the distance.

“He deserves it,” Keith all but said glaring at the spot behind his father.

“You were going to kill him—with that knife,” he said lowering his gaze to knife held tight in Keith’s grasp, “…Your mother’s knife,” his father added, Keith paused, his anger diminishing with those last words, he turned to look at his knife, tilting it so the light that was coming from the small spot in the window, caught in the blade, his face reflecting right back at him.

“Judging by the fact that  _you_ have the knife and not your mother, means only one thing. She’s gone, they must’ve salvaged the knife from whatever damage has been done and gave it to me so I could give it to you,” Keith’s father said.

Another explosion.

_“Move out! We’ve got all the supplies we need!”_

Keith jerked away and turned back to the window to see Lotor going back to his ship, the rest of the soldiers and sentries running back to their own. This was Keith’s only chance, he saw a hidden pod near the shrubs and decided to use that as his way to catch up to Lotor.

“Don’t go through that door Keith,” Keith heard his father say but he squeezed his eyes and took a deep breath, he opened his eyes slowly and gave his father a last lookover, “I’m sorry papa,” he said and pushed opened the door.

* * *

Keith woke up with a gasp, he was sweaty, bruised, bleeding from his shoulder, and aching all over.

“Keith!”

Keith looked over to his side to see Shiro running towards him, a group of Blade members behind him, “Keith! Keith are you alright?” Shiro asked skidding to a halt and kneeling to haul Keith up, arm going around Keith’s waist to help Keith on his feet.

“I’m fine,” Keith murmured and looked around the room and wondered why it as shaking, small pieces of the walls were cracking and hitting the ground. It looked like the room was about to fall apart.

Kolivan stood in front of the group with a disapproving look, “Hand over the knife Keith, you failed to awaken it, you failed the trails,” he said.

“He’s not giving you  _anything!_ ” Shiro growled holding out his Galra arm in front of them, fingers squeezing at Keith’s waist and bringing him closer, he bared his teeth at the group and they bared back by unsheathing their knives, fully activated and glowing from under the lights.

“What’d you mean by awakening the knife?” Keith asked, his voice hoarse and weak, he was seconds away from passing out again.

“Step away, we’re leaving,” Shiro growled, Kolivan’s mask glowed and he pulled out his own knife.

“Give us the knife!” Kolivan shouted charging forward, Shiro growled and released Keith, he activated his own arm and charged right back. The back of his wrist, hit the side of Kolivan’s knife with a loud  _‘clang’_ , echoing the large room.

Keith knew this would end up badly and he shakily held out his knife, “W-wait, just take the knife!” Keith shouted wondering what strength had him on his feet for this long, he stumbled when the room shook again but he kept his arm out.

Kolivan and Shiro turned to Keith, who frowned at them.

“Keith are you sure? I can understand what this knife means to you,” Shiro said then turned back to Kolivan, lips pulling back again in a sneer.

“I’m sure… I have Voltron, I don’t need this knife to know what or who I am,” Keith said and just as he said the knife glowed. The blades stepped back and so did Shiro, his eyes widening in wonder as Keith and his knife was surrounded by this white light and when it disappeared seconds later, Keith stood there with a full-length sword in his hand, sparks from the lights surrounded him and Shiro wondered if Keith had always been this beautiful.

“You’ve awoken the blade,” Kolivan said, he stepped back from Shiro and lowered his own sword, “the knife is yours to keep and the cherish, you’re an official member of the Blade of Marmora,” Kolivan said bowing his head respectfully to Keith and the rest of them followed.

Keith swallowed and his knees gave out, Shiro quickly rushed to catch him before he hit his head on the floor.

“Now…if it’s possible, could you call of your beast, she probably destroyed half of the headquarters by now,” Antok said.

“Beast? You mean Red?” Keith murmured, he could feel a headache coming. Shiro managed a smile and he brushed back Keith’s sweaty bangs, “Red figured that you were in trouble and did her best to take down the headquarters to save you,” he explained.

“Oh,” Keith murmured closing his eyes, he connected with Red and eased her mind, it was a full dobash later that the firing at stopped and she was sitting back down now, although her anger and worry didn’t vanish but she did stop shooting lava at the headquarters.

“We should contact Allura and tell her we’re on our way with a new ally—I presume,” Shiro said glaring at Kolivan who smirked at him, his mask gone and Keith smiled tiredly at the familiar face.

“An ally to the end,” Kolivan said nodding to them, he turned back to the group behind him and said something in the Galra language, they all nodded and left the room with only Antok staying behind.

“We should head back to the Lion now, I think the passageway is just about to open,” Shiro said scooping Keith in his arms when the smaller man protest about not feeling his legs.

“Sorry,” Keith murmured as they walked back to the lion, Shiro smiled despite the past situation and shook his head. “It’s alright, besides, you’re not that heavy,” he said, Keith frowned and if he could feel his arms, he could punch Shiro’s chest so instead he weakly murmured an earthling curse at him making the older man laugh, Keith leaned his head against Shiro’s chest and decided he liked the easy care laugh and wanted to make him laugh again but exhausting was wearing him thin and he could barely manage to keep his eyes open.

When they exited the headquarters, Red was waiting for them, eyes glowing and her mechanical body rumblings, it had the rocky floor vibrating. “I think she’s still mad,” Shiro whispered, Keith gave a tired hum and let his eyes fall shut.

“We’ll fly right behind you, I suppose your beast is not keen of us yet,” Kolivan said eyeing Red with weary yellow eyes before following Antok towards their own sleek gray ship. Shiro turned back to red who lowered her head and opened her mouth to let them inside.

“Fly,” Keith whispered, Shiro bit his lip and sat down awkwardly on the seat, he jolted when Red clamped her mouth shut and rose to her feet. “I don’t think I’ll be able to  _pilot_ your lion,” Shiro wondered but gave a surprised squeak when the seat smoothly slid through the small space until it was in front of the control panel, the screen blinked awake, showing Shiro the outside.

The handles rose up to Shiro and there was a comforting rumble in the back of his mind, it was an odd feeling but not entirely so, besides Keith did pilot the Black lion, so Shiro should be fine.

Shiro eased Keith down in his lap, he moved his hands away from Keith’s waist and thighs before reaching to his side to grab the handle, with slow and easy movement, he had the red lion in the air and smoothly flying towards the passageway.

Piloting the red lion was far different then black, she was smoother, fast, and almost as if he was piloting a small ship instead of a large mechanical red cat, there was no heaviness that Black had. Shiro slowly followed after Kolivan and he ignored the red lion’s slight annoyance at his slow speed and shot right back.

_Give me time to adjust, I’m not used to flying something to fast._

There was a grumble at the back of his mind and Shiro smiled, it sounded as though she understood but was still annoyed by him. Once they were free from the passageway and back out into outer space, Shiro opened his comms to the princess.

“Princess! We’re on our way back and we have someone you should meet,” Shiro reported, he could hear Coran speak before he heard sighs of reliefs and Pidge's words “They did it!”

They must’ve picked up on Red firing and thought of the worst. Well, considering the condition Keith’s in, they had the right to worry.

“We’re almost home buddy,” Shiro said gently to Keith when he caught sight of the Castle, floating miles away from them, he looked down at Keith and frowned when he saw something clutching tightly between his hands, it was purple and there was an odd limp ticking out between Keith’s hands.

“Hello, you’re new,” Shiro said releasing one of his hands and poking at the lump, Keith whined and turned his head into Shiro’s chest, moving his hands also and tucking the object between their chest.

“Cute,” Shiro murmured smiling and jerked the lion a bit to make it go faster. “You’ll be fine, just a bit more,” Shiro said.

They’d be back inside soon, safe, and warm. Keith in the pod and healing and back on track. Things were looking on the brighter side for once until Shiro remembered those famous words that had Shiro inwardly cringing when he saw Keith speak to his holographic form.

_Shiro, you’re like a brother to me._

Well…almost on the brighter side. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the chapters too short but I wanted to update it quickly before I don't emotionally feel good again and I was like "I better hurry!!"  
> Also, I wanted a small chapter just for the trails, I did the best I could :p sorry for if you don't like it, I did really try.
> 
> also, you know I had to do em, I had to add in "Shiro you're like a brother to me," cause why the heck not!
> 
> Another thing, I don't think the next chapter will be updated probably until the end of February :\ sorry. It's just that classes started, I have tutoring I have to attend for my classes and I also tutored a few middle school kids, I also got work, bills to pay and other Adulting things I gotta do :< sadsadsad!  
> Also, I'm not always emotionally okay, I don't have health insurance to get medication and since I'm living alone, I can't go under my parent's insurance and two they live in Houston and I live in NY so that's also a problem. There's just a whole lot going on and I'm so sorry if I update later then I used to.


	18. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO PROUD OF MYSELF
> 
> Honestly, I really am. I've been going through so much and I'm going to straight up say, I have depression and it's been eating me up and I don't have medical insurance for therapy or pills. The only thing that's pulling me through my days is my cat. "Who's going to take care of her if I just wallow myself up in my own room," those are my thoughts each day. She helps a lot and she's super cuddly and it makes me so happy when she just comes into my room and sleeps next to my pillow.
> 
> So, here's the next chapter. Dedicated to my little bug, my baby, and my only reason to pull myself through my shitty ass days.

Everyone tensed up when Allura turned her glare on to Kolivan and Antok. Once Shiro had boarded the ship, Keith was sent down to the medical bay where Coran checked up on Keith, checking his status and deciding on if he was to be put in the healing pods or not.

Surprisingly, it was Allura who was concerned just as much as Shiro was, she was hovering around the larger male and fretting over the injured Galra who clung to Shiro like a baby.

“I sent you two of my men to form an alliance and you return with one of them injured and unconscious!” She growled at them. Kolivan turned to look at her and crossed his arm, “The kit had to go through the Trails, it was a mandatory procedure,” he said.

“What Trails? Was it mandatory for you to waste precious time and have Keith coming back in such a horrible state!”

“The kit had yet to activate his blade, if he had passed the trails then the blade was his to keep if not then it would be passed down to the next waiting Galra in training. Besides, we would have formed an alliance either way,” Kolivan said and Antok gave a grunt of agreement.

Allura sighed and rubbed her temples, “I do not understand the way of Galra, why is there so much violence,” she muttered to herself but the Galra heard and they tensed up.

“The Alteans weren’t exactly peaceful as they seemed to be, do not be arrogant,” Antok rumbled, Allura gave him a withering glare and he stared back soullessly through his mask.

“No matter, Keith is safe and we have come to an agreement with the Marmora, now we must move onto the next step,” Allura said and walked over towards Pidge who handed her the tab.

“We must find Slav, I heard he was a great engineer and captured by the Galra,” Pidge said then turned to Kolivan who had just dissolved his mask and stared at her.

“Do you know where he is?” she asked, Kolivan nodded and walked over toward the Princess and Pidge, he towered over them like a giant with piercing yellow eyes and an unsettling frown. Kolivan plucked the tablet from Allura who gave him a glare when he did.

“Slav’s a prisoner in Beta Traz, it’s a top secret jail, built only to keep Slav inside, it’s heavily guarded so breaking in and breaking out would be difficult,” Kolivan said using his claw to scroll through the galaxies until he stopped at Suterez Galaxy and pointed to an empty spot on the space map.

“Here are the coordinates, you’ll need an excellent plan to break in, the blade members have tried countless times. I’m not sure if a bunch of kits can break in,” Kolivan said, Antok snorted as if he was holding back a laugh and Allura glared at them.

“You do not need to worry about us, all we need is back up, what you need to do is step out of our way and watch,” she said.

* * *

 

“He’s alright, just a bit banged up,” Coran said taping a cloth patch on Keith’s cheekbones where there was a large purple bruise with slight bleeding.

“Don’t you think it would be easier if he was in the pod?” Lance asked hovering over Shiro who had one of Keith’s hand in his and pushing back the dark hair from his forehead.

“It would be but King Alfor had modified the pods to heal everyone but Galra, it would reverse the healing process and slowly kill him instead,” Coran said smiling apologetically, he ignored Lance’s blanched face and looked over at the pods.

“There’s a difficult coding system that I’ve been trying to hack into and reverse the process to allow all species to heal. Alfor changed the pods when we were at war with the Galra. Anyway~ I’ll put you in charge of Keith’s healing and make sure he eats a lot to build up his stamina and energy,” Coran said turning to Shiro who gave the older Altean a tired smile.

“Thanks, Coran,” Shiro said softly.

“Come on long Lance, let’s leave them in peace,” Coran said clicking his tongue and moving around the back to put his hand on Coran’s arm and gently tug him towards the door.

Lance looked back at Shiro and smiled, “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” he said before letting himself get dragged out of the room.

Shiro exhaled slowly and turned back to Keith who had his head tilted towards him, he let out another breath and pushing his chair closer and enclosed Keith’s hand closest to him in between his hands.

“You scared me there for a second buddy, I thought I—we had lost you,” Shiro whispered, as expected, Keith didn’t answer and Shiro let out a disbelieving laugh and bowed the head to press against his enclosed fist.

Shiro let himself calm down and almost hoped that whatever happened in the past few hours were all a dream, he couldn’t stand watching Keith being tortured like that, he knew the kid was strong but it was unbearable to watch and most of the time he kept praying that it would all end but when was his life easy, when was Keith’s life easy.

Shiro tensed for a split second when he heard a groan and slowly lifted his head to see Keith’s brows furrowed and him slowly blinking away, he muttered something in a different language and winced at the bright white lights in the room.

Shiro released one of his hand and dimmed the lights with the remote that Coran left beside him, instantly the lights had dimmed down, Keith sighed in relief and slowly turned to Shiro with a confused frown.

“...ro?”

Shiro used his free hand to grab one of the water packets and tilted the straw to Keith’s mouth who slowly sipped the water. Keith started frowning and Shiro instantly pulled away from the packet and smiled when Keith called for him again with a confused tone.

“Hey, you’ve had a tough day, you should take it easy, you’re still healing,” Shiro said softly, it only confused Keith even more and he licked his bottom lip, showing off his little-fanged canines before they disappeared behind his lip again.

“Where am I?” Keith asked.

Shiro frowned and he leaned in, “You don’t remember what happened? We were at the Blade of Marmora and they made you do this ridiculous trail,” Shiro said.

“Oh…oh. Where’s everyone?” Keith asked moving to sit up but with Shiro’s form hand on his shoulder whilst gently pushing him down. “Kolivan and Antok are currently discussing the next plan of attack,” Shiro explained.

“You--? Why are you not with them?” Keith demanded, Shiro shrugged and he squeezed Keith’s hand tighter, “It’s not important for me to be there, besides Allura’s there with Pidge and Hunk. Lance came with Coran and me to patch you up,”

“But you-you should be with them, you are the leader of Voltron,” Keith murmured, he closed his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t understand, why are you here?” he asked.

“Why shouldn’t I be here?”

Keith averted his eyes and bit his bottom lip, he looked nervous, there was something on his mind and it was clearly bothering him but after today, Shiro decided not to push Keith too hard in opening up to him. So instead, he gently rubbed the small hand between his and waited patiently for Keith to speak up again.

Keith never got the chance, they both heard the small beep from the door and glanced over just in time to see it hiss open and Allura to come through with Kolivan looming behind her, a frown set on his face, which Shiro honestly thought it was permanently stuck in his face.

“How are you Kit?” Kolivan asked.

Keith managed a tired smile and Shiro refrained himself from calling Kolivan out.

“I need to speak with him privately,” Kolivan said turning to glare at Shiro who returned the glare back, he slowly stood up, hands still latched onto Keith’s. Kolivan’s eyes flickered down to their conjoined hands and his lips pulled up into a sneer, fueling the anger in Shiro’s chest.

“Shiro, you’re needed on the bridge,” Allura said stepping closer, she placed a firm hand on Shiro’s bicep, her nails digging into the fabric of his shirt. Shiro released Keith’s hand and turned away from Kolivan and let Allura led him out, her hand still firmly grasping his bicep.

Once the door was shut, Allura spun around to face Shiro with a glare of her own. “What were you thinking about challenging him?!” She hisses and quickly glanced at the closed door, she grabbed Shiro’s wrist and dragged him further away from the door until they were hiding behind a closed corner.

“What’re you talking about?” Shiro demanded, Allura poked him in his chest and raised her chin. “Back there, with Kolivan, you were basically challenging him. I had many friends who were Galra back in the day and many generals come to visit my father in Altea, The galra do not like to be challenged in front of their Kits, especially highly respected ones, Keith may not know this yet, but Kolivan practically is his adopted father. You do not want to challenge a Galra, especially if you cannot heal impeccably fast!”

“Look, I wasn’t intentionally challenging him, I was just—”

“—Just what?” Allura demanded, Shiro averted his glare and crossed his arms stiffly, he didn’t know what he was doing. The moment Kolivan stepped into the room, he has livid, anger took over his body and he hadn’t realized he was doing until Allura jumped in between.

“Don’t tell me that you have feelings for Keith?” Allura said carefully, she made a distressed sound at the back of her throat when Shiro cleared his through and his cheeks turned bright red.

“Shiro…”

“I can’t help it okay! Besides, he sees me as a brother anyways!” Shiro snapped then sighed when Allura gave him a hurt look. As mature as she made herself act, Allura is much younger than he was, logically speaking.

“I’m sorry, I’m just upset,” Shiro said. Allura nodded and rubbed his arm in a soothing way although it irritated Shiro, he knew she was just trying to help. “You cannot help how you feel and I shouldn’t judge you either for your emotions towards Keith,” Allura said.

They both flinched when they heard the faint hiss of the door opening, they came out from the corner and Shiro’s eyes narrowed at Kolivan who was making his way towards them. Allura gave his side a sharp jab with her elbow and he quickly schooled his glare and gave him a stoic look.

“The kit is healing, give him a few Vargas and he’ll be back on his feet. In the meantime, I will travel back to my base with Antok and discuss the plan with the rest of the Blade members, while Voltron splits up and rescues Slav and gather more scultrite, we’ll need a lot,” Kolivan said.

“That sounds like a plan, I’m glad that we can count on you to help us defeat Zarkon,” Allura said, clasping her hands in front of her and smiling up at Antok.

“I just hope Voltron is good as the legends say, this is our only chance, you cannot mess this up,” Kolivan said. Allura’s smile tightened and her jaw clenched but she stayed the same and gave him a closed eye smile.

“Of course, although—” Allura opened her eyes and Shiro noticed the fire in them and Kolivan met her gaze with one of his own, “I hope you as well don’t mess us, considering you had over a thousand years to take back the universe,” she said.

Kolivan tensed up and he gave a miffed look and brushed past her, Allura rolled her eyes and turned towards Shiro who shrugged.

“What happened about challenging a Galra?” Shiro asked giving her a look, Allura shrugged and reached up to take out the pins from her hair and releasing the curly waves of hair. “I trained in combat since I was a little girl, I could easily take him on,” then looked Shiro up and down and smirked, “I’m not some puny human,” she said cocking her hips.

Shiro laughed and gave her arm a punch, “Rude,” he muttered. Allura grinned and looped her arms his, “Come now, let Keith rest and late he can join us at the bridge, we need our leader to think of a plan of attack"

* * *

 

"You know when I had to choose between entering a prison that had multiple layers of security versus gathering more scultrite. I obviously chose the scultrite mission because, duh it’s seemed more saver and honestly more comforting. But nobody! Nobody told me that I had to enter a giant worm looking creature that eats dead planets!” Hunk shouted staring at the holographic picture of the Weblum which was floating in the middle of the bridge.

“Relax Hunk,” Lance said grinning, he had his arms folded behind his head. Hunk glared at his friend and dropped his hands from his face, “I am relaxed!” he shouted.

“Hunk, you’ll be fine, besides Keith’s going with you,” Shiro said placing a hand on Keith’s shoulder and gave Hunk a peace sign when Hunk turned to look at him. “What is Keith going to do!” Hunk shouted, Keith huffed and Shiro suppressed a laugh.

“I get it, he’s Galra and he's super strong and amazing in combat but like is the Weblum going to tremble in fear when he sees Keith!”

“Do not worry!” Coran shouted and leaped over to Hunk’s side, he placed both of his hands on Hunk’s shoulder and grinned.

“I sent an information video to your lion! It’ll tell you exactly how to enter the Weblum, what not to do, where to find the scultrite, and how to exit! Besides, you two are practically particles of space compared to the giant, he’ll barely feel you inside of him,” Coran said.

“Lance,” Shiro scolded when Lance’s easy going grin turned into a smug smirk, the smirk fell and let out a huffed.

“Alright team, let’s suit up, we can’t waste any more time,” Shiro said, Hunk sighed defeatedly while Keith patted his arm.

* * *

 

"Hey, you okay?"

It was Hunk, they had arrived from their mission earlier than planned and Keith had managed to sneak past the reunion and head towards the training deck. He was in the middle of stretching when Hunk walked in.

"I'm fine," Keith said abruptly, he leaned forward and reached his toes and held his pose for a few seconds before leaning back and doing it again twice.

"Are you sure? You seemed kind of off," Hunk said coming over and sitting down with him, Keith frowned at him then raised an eyebrow when Hunk started to stretch along with him. Keith noticed now that Hunk wasn't in his usual attire, he was wearing a pair of loose gray pants and a baggy black shirt.

"Are you here to train with me?" Keith asked. Hunk managed a smile and a shrug, "Might as well huh, can't waste any precious time and I think I've been skipping out on my training a bit too much," he said then glanced at Keith before leaning forward to reach his toes.

"You don't mind right?"

Keith shook his head and stood up, "It is alright with me, I was getting tired of sparing with Shiro all the time," Keith said, Hunk let out a low laugh and stood up himself.

"Right then Captian, what's our first training session?" Hunk said. Keith grinned and he grabbed the bo-staff that was resting against the walls behind them and tossed one to Hunk who easily got it.

"Something simple, I've been meaning to practice my balance, after a hard fight in the Marmora trials, I realized that my footing is awful," Keith said getting in position, Hunk followed Keith's posture and made an attempt to hit is legs when Keith used his bo-staff to block the attempt.

The practice went smoothly and to Hunk's surprise, he managed to make Keith trip over his own feet many times, but Keith didn't get upset, he grinned wider every time he pulled himself back up and tried harder every time.

"How do you usually fight?" Keith asked wiping the sweat from his face with the bottom of his shirt, flashing his toned stomach to Hunk.

"I uh, mostly use my canon to fight," Hunk confessed and Keith raised an eyebrow and gave him a confused look. "But you're huge," he stated gesturing to Hunk's body. Hunk deflated and he pursed his lips. "Uh, thanks for noticing," he muttered.

"You're upset," Keith said, it wasn't exactly a question and Hunk awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"No not really, Uh um, just don't like it when people call me huge, kind of a blow to the ego," Hunk confessed. Keith tilted his head confused and Hunk desperately wished that the action wasn't as adorable Keith intended it to be.

"Shiro's huge as well," Keith said. Hunk gave a humorless laugh and crossed his arms tightly while Keith examined his body, "Yeah, he's got muscle, a perfect male body. Like literally perfect, I bet there's not an inch of fat on him!" Hunk exclaimed

"I suppose there's not but what is the problem with your body, I think it's perfectly fine," Keith said, he didn't understand why Hunk was so upset and frustrated, it was the first time he's seen Hunk like this before.

"Yeah, obviously you would think that.  _'Oh, Hunk your body's fine, you're not fat your fluffy,'_  yeah like fat's an insult. I hate that. When people look at me they don't see an amazing engineer that see a fat kid who loves to eat and cook, like is that what people think huge people love to do, god it makes me so angry!"

Keith's eyes widened at Hunk's rant, he was surprised than upset, what kind of horrible humans decide to emotionally hurt someone.

"Well, I think you _are_ perfect, I wish I had your body because I would love to flatten my enemy's, it's hard with a small body but your's is perfect! See like this, you use your shoulders and--!" Keith slammed his shoulder against the wall and pretended to grind a galra soldier into the wall, "--and smush!" he added with a grin.

"My shoulders?" Hunk asked trying not to laugh at Keith's display, Keith nodded and he pulled himself away from the wall and grabbed Hunk's arms and positioned so he was parallel to the wall, he pointed to his broad shoulders and biceps. "With strong shoulders and arms, you can easily disable your enemies. Do what I did," Keith instructed and moved back.

Hunk awkwardly pressed himself against the wall and glanced over at Keith who shook his head, he walked over and got himself in front of Hunk and held his arms in front of him, close to his chest, and fist clenched.

"Slam into the wall with all your might--like this," Keith said and slammed into the wall. Keith jerked in surprise when the Hunk slammed into the wall and he looked behind him and saw a huge dent in the wall where Hunk's shoulder slammed into.

"Just like that!" Keith exclaimed, he turned around and awed at the dent, he grinned at Hunk who let out a breathless laugh. Keith quickly grabbed Hunk's wrist and held up his hand and pointed to his elbow.

"This too, you can easily knock a Galra soldier clean out with one blow!"

Hunk's cheeks heated up and he shuffled his feet before glancing at Keith who was too busy marveling Hunk's muscles and body, he then placed his hands on Hunk's belly and his cheeks turned a dark purple.

"Also, you have the perfect body to hug...Lance said your hugs are the best, said it feels like hugging a huge fluffy pillow," Keith murmured

Hunk laughed and he held out his arm and wrapped them around Keith's shoulders and yanked him into his body. Keith didn't even tense up, he let himself get dragged into the hug and burrowed his face in Hunk's shoulders and sighed. Lance was right, Hunk was definitely the best person to hug.

When they pulled away, Keith held onto Hunk's wrist and smiled up at him, "Throughout our times together, I think of you as a dear friend and I would hate to know that you think so horribly of yourself. You're so smart and sometimes I feel like an idiot standing next to you and not knowing exactly what you're talking about. Your dishes are so amazing and I'm always so excited to try them out knowing that no matter what you cook, it's going to be delicious," Keith murmured.

Hunk's eyes prickled and he playfully nudged Keith's foot with his own, "Thanks, you're an amazing friend as well Keith," he said softly.

Keith let out a pleased hum and glanced up at him, "Also, thank you for asking about me before, I was feeling a bit lonely and I'm glad you came to find me," he said.

Hunk winked and pulled his hands away from Keith's wrist, only to wrap one arm around Keith's shoulders and grin, "No problem-o, that's what friends do right, they look after each other. Now, since the rest of the group is still on their mission, how about I get us something to eat from the kitchen, Coran just came back from his trip from the space mall and he got some cool ingredients, I think we could make something delicious just for the two of us to eat,"

"I think that sounds amazing"

* * *

 

"What was that about?” Allura said, Shiro looked over from the plans at her, she was standing in the doorway of the bridge, glaring at him, her bright blue eyes giving off an eerier glow in the dark. Shiro raised an eyebrow and she walked over towards him and crossed her arms.

“Before the departure, the hug, I was watching you,” Allura said, Shiro pursed his lips and shook his head, “Creepy,” he said and turned back to the plan but the tab was ripped away from his view and he glared at Allura who held the tablet behind her back and pointed a finger at him.

“You’re only hurting yourself, I suggest you pull back instantly and control your emotions around Keith,”

“I appreciate your concern Allura, but I can handle my emotions pretty well, trust me on this,” Shiro said and reached around her to yank back the tablet. Allura chewed at her cheek and rolled her eyes, “If you want to fall down this pathway then, by all means, go ahead, I was just warning you,” she muttered and left.

Shiro didn’t bother with her, he continued his research and sat back down in his seat. It would be a useless argument, Allura didn’t know what she was talking about.

The door hissed open again and Shiro gritted his teeth, “Allura I told you—”

“—Oh my! This castle is so far behind the generation!”

Shiro held back a groan and he quickly shut the tab and stood up to see Slav scurrying inside the bridge and Keith jogging inside a second later.

“Sorry,” he panted, “I tried to stop him.”

Shiro shook his head and turned to Slav with an irritated glare but the creature was too busy fondling and inspecting the bridge, he scurried over and stood where Allura usually stands and poked at the columns.

“You’re supposed to be resting,” Shiro muttered glaring at Slav who made a clicking sound with his tongue and glanced over at Keith and shivered. “I do not like the feeling of a Galra with glowing yellow eyes watching me,” he said his eyes wide and taking a step back.

“There’s been hundred percent chance of me being attacked by a Galra,” Slav added. Keith glared at him and Slav turned around and headed towards Shiro and climbed on him.

“Get off,” Shiro said glaring at Slav who grabbed Shiro’s metal arm and waved it, “back off Galra!” Slav threatened.

Keith crossed his arm and rolled his eyes. Shiro plucked Slav off of him and tossed him on the floor to which he landed on his feet carefully. “One, Keith’s not full Galra and he won’t hurt you, two you need to rest and let Keith watch over you,” Shiro said sternly.

“Hmm…you say you’re not full Galra?” Slav said shuffling closer and squinting up at Keith who made a face and took a cautious step back, “You’re too close,” Keith said when Slav extended his body so he was full height and almost an inch bigger than Keith.

“I have never seen a half galra before, this is interesting, I wonder how your anatomy works, how were you conceived, was there any complications during birth, what is your other half—”

“—I’m human also and no questions about my birth, that is personal,” Keith snapped yanking his hand away from Slav who was examining his claws.

“Can you retract your claws?” Slav asked but yelped when Shiro cleared his throat, “Enough questions, leave Keith alone and get some rest, you’ll need it for when you build the teludav,” Shiro said firmly.

“I suppose I can hold back on the questions but I will need answers, I’ve never met a hybrid Galra before, I’ve been a prisoner for so long, I never got to see one up close,” Slav said.

“I am not an animal!”

“Slav get out!” Shiro shouted and Slav booked it out there and both sighed in relief when the door shut behind him.

“I’m sorry about him,” Shiro said stepping closer, Keith gave him a tired smile and shrugged, “It is alright, it’s not like you can control him,” Keith said then clenched his fist nervously beside him. “I also should go, I must’ve disturbed you,” Keith said taking a step back, he stopped when Shiro took a quick step in his direction.

“N-no, it’s okay—you can stay,” Shiro said, Keith hesitated for a split second but slowly followed Shiro towards his seat and leaned against the side to watch him carefully plan out the attack.

“We’re so close,” Shiro said tapping the screen and adding a few more Galra fighter pilots, it looked like he was doing a rough sketch on the future battle and how it would go.

“This could be the end,” he said and looked over at Keith and grinned, “This is the first time I’ve been excited and nervous at the same time, there are so many more emotions and it’s hard to describe.”

“You’re going home, it must be nice,” Keith said softly, Shiro frowned and he turned around so he could face Keith more. “You’re coming with me, to earth, remember?” Shiro said. Keith frowned and he pushed himself away from Shiro’s seat.

“I don’t think I’ll be accompanying you to earth, any of you guys. I—I want to find out what happened to my parents and why…and why Lotor was there,” Keith said firmly, he tried to make himself look stronger and make himself seem that the words didn’t affect him but Shiro saw the tremble in Keith’s clenched fist and he got up from his spot slowly and reached out to grab one of Keith’s hand in his, he slowly unraveled Keith’s clenched fist and intertwined their fingers and took a step closer.

Keith snapped his head up to Shiro, his heart was racing and he found himself trapped and unable to look away from those warm gray eyes. It had gotten so quiet between them and Keith was afraid that Shiro could hear this heart pounding against his chest. Instead, Shiro smiled, a gentle smile and Keith’s eyes widened a fraction when Shiro leaned in and gently bumped their foreheads together.

“You’re so strong,”

Barely a whisper between them and Keith stared at Shiro who was leaning against with his eyes closed, a smile still on his lips.

“I am not exactly,” Keith replied, just as softly. He didn’t know what was happening and he wanted to run, he was scared, this wasn’t how he wanted their relationship to go. As much as he was in love with Shiro, he couldn’t handle the emotional baggage that came with it. Keith squeezed his eyes shut and forced the tears back, it was all too much.

“You are. You are so strong, after all you’ve gone through, you’re so strong,” Shiro said and Keith shook his head, he wasn’t strong, he was weak, all of it was a lie.

“Sto—”

The doors pushed open and instantly Keith yanked his hand back and jumped away from Shiro and stared wide-eyed at Allura who looked livid herself, she was glaring at Shiro who was staring back at her calmly.

“You’re supposed to be resting, both of you,” Allura said tensely, Keith gave a jerky nod and he walked out of the room without glancing behind at Shiro and brushing past Allura in a hurry. He needed to get away, far away from Shiro.

Keith managed to get inside his room without bumping into anyone, he pressed himself against the door and pressed a hand against his mouth to cover up the sobs threatening to escape. Keith slowly slid down and wiped the tears with his other hand.

Keith couldn’t handle this, he knew the reason why he told Shiro why ‘he was like a brother’ he couldn’t handle the rejection again, he didn’t dare to hope when Shiro showed signed of affection other then friendship to him, he ignored it and pretended it was all in his head. If Shiro’s memories returned, he would know exactly what Lotor did, what Keith had to do with Shiro in order to survive, he couldn’t handle the disgust on Shiro’s face. Keith wasn’t strong, Shiro was a liar. Keith was weak, he knew exactly how weak he was.

* * *

 

“You need to stop,” Allura growled glaring at Shiro who turned his attention from the closed door to Allura who was now in front of him, her eyes were burning with fury and Shiro crossed his arms tightly.

“Like I said before, you don’t have to worry about me, I can handle myself,” he said and Allura’s eyes shined brighter and her fist clenched, her mouth opened to scream when they both snapped their heads up as they heard muffled shouts.

_“…llura! Allura!”_

The doors opened and Coran skidded inside, his eyes wide and he looked scared and nervous. “Princess! We—we seemed to have a huge problem,” he stuttered out.

“What happened?”

“Coran you’re sweating!”

Coran gulped and he wrung his wrist together, “Where’s Keith?” he asked glancing around then nervously glanced over his shoulder.

“He left, probably in his room. Why? Is something wrong? Did something happen to Keith?” Shiro asked stepping forward but Coran shook his head and he gulped again before running his hands through his hair, his hair fuzzed up and reminded Shiro one of those little creatures that Pidge tried to sneak on board when she was on the trash nebula.

“He’s been spotted, only a galaxy away. Lotor’s been spotted, he’s back,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also a big thanks for those sticking by me and waiting patiently, I'm so happy that you guys actually and truly like my story and it makes me even happier when I get a comment, be it only one comment, it'll make my life so much happier to know that there are people out there who actually enjoy and take a few seconds out of their lives to comment on 'my' story! <3  
> I love you guys so much!
> 
> LOTOR'S BACK! Oh mygod! he's back!


	19. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S FINALLY DONE! ohmygod I was wondering when I would finally post this chapter. Sorry for the wait, I know it's been FUCKING FOREVER!!

“What you mean he’s back!” Shiro hissed for the fifth time, the door behind them was sealed shut and he was glaring at Coran who was scrolling through the holographic replica of the galaxies.

“Shiro, do not get angry at Coran,” Allura said firmly. Shiro inhaled sharply and he didn’t spare her a glance and walked over to Coran who was frantically scrolling through the smaller version on his control panel.

“Ryner contacted me, she said a few quintets ago, a few of her people helped escape some prisoners from a battle cruiser. They said they heard the guards talking about ‘Lotor’s plan,’ whatever that means but they also mentioned how they spotted Lotor and a group of other hybrids Galra in his group,” Coran said and made a ‘aha’ sound from his mouth and pointed to a galaxy that they hadn’t even encountered.

“Lotor and his group were spotted in the Herluxum Galaxy, only three galaxies where we’re currently at. The problem is, would this interfere with our plans?” Coran asked turning to Allura who clenched her fist and lifted her chin.

“I’m sure if we stay out of Lotor’s way, he’ll stay out of ours,” Allura said, “We’ll have to inform the other paladin’s about Lotor’s sighting,” she added.

“Are you crazy, we cannot let Keith know about Lotor,” Shiro hissed stepping forward, Allura crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, “Why not?” she demanded.

“Keith is not mentally okay, he may seem strong, he may act strong, but once he catches the sight of Lotor or even knows the whereabouts of Lotor. I don’t know what he’s going to do. Keith could drop into depression and a state of anxiety or he could go on this revengeful rampage. It’s one or the other and I rather him not go into either. Keith’s finally getting out of his shell, he’s still recovering and with the previous Galra trials, Keith needs rest for that as well,” Shiro explained.

“Then what will you do, go on about without telling Keith of Lotor and telling the rest of the paladins. What will you do once Keith finds out? An accidental slip from either of us, I am quite sure that Keith will not be happy that we kept a huge secret from him. He will go right back into his shell and not even trust us anymore,” Allura demanded.

“Fine, we won’t tell anyone—”

_“—Shiro—!”_

“—This stays between us, nobody can know of Lotor and Allura don’t try to stop me. I’m the leader, I know what’s best for my team,” Shiro ordered, Allura bit her lip and she glared at Shiro. Coran gave a wistful sigh and nodded, “I suppose we can leave this on you Shiro, but remember, you can’t always protect those you adore,” Coran said putting a hand on Allura to stop her from physically attacking Shiro.

“I’ll handle this, for now, let’s rest and tomorrow we’ll start creating the plans for the teladuv,” Shiro said, he didn’t wait for their response and swiftly turned on his heel and left the room.

* * *

 

So, they kept it a secret, the tension between Allura and Shiro grew, Pidge noticed it right off the bat, she tried to confront them but they brushed it off and said they were tensed about the upcoming battle. Even Lance toned down when he was around both of them, the tension was so thick that it was hardly breathable. Hunk being the smart one, stayed out of their ways and pretended neither of them was having an internal argument.

“Princess this is not healthy—for either of you,” Coran said one day. Allura sighed in defeat and even Shiro looked embarrassed at their huge fight. “I understand what you’re trying to do but Keith deserves to know,” Coran added.

“I know Coran but—”

“—but nothing, we do not keep secrets from each other, especially to those who we are close to,” Coran said giving Shiro a look. Still flushed with embarrassment, Shiro lowered his gaze and cleared his throat.

“I’ll be the one to tell him, no one else,” Shiro stated.

“Agreed but tell him soon, I do not want him finding out any other way,” Coran said, Allura nodded too and she put a comforting hand on Shiro’s arm, “It’s for the best, Keith will understand,” she said genuinely.

Shiro let out a huge breath and nodded, “I’ll go find Keith then,” he murmured. “That’s a good lad,” Coran said smiling, patting his shoulder roughly. Shiro grimaced and walked out of the room.

Considering how slow he was going, Shiro found Keith quicker then he thought. They’re eyes met across the hall and they slowly drifted towards each other until they were standing only inches from each other.

“Are you alright? There’s no color on your cheeks,” Keith said pointing to his own cheek, Shiro licked his lower lip and managed a smile but Keith frowned harder.

“I need to speak to you,” Shiro said, now Keith looked nervous, he looked around him and took a step back, “I—I uh should really train, I have been slacking,” he said quickly. Shiro quickly grabbed Keith’s wrist before he could make a run for it.

“Keith please, it’s important,” Shiro said gravely, Keith hesitated before nodding but he was still as tense. “It’s better if we go somewhere secluded,” he added releasing his grip on Keith’s wrist and turned to walk towards his room. Keith slowly followed behind him and towards Shiro’s room.

Keith watched as Shiro pressed his hand against the keypad, a second late the door opened. Keith followed Shiro into his room and tensed up again when the door closed behind him. Keith wrung his wrist together and cleared his throat.

Shiro sat down on the edge of his bed and waited for Keith to follow up, keeping a good foot of a distance between them. “You wanted to tell me something?” Keith asked finally breaking the silence.

Shiro cleared his throat and nodded, “There’s been a secret that I’ve been hiding from you, not just me but Coran and Allura as well. I told them not to tell you but I realized that I shouldn’t hide anything from you, especially something as big as this,” Shiro said trailing off.

“What is it? Shiro please stop stalling and tell me,” Keith demanded and turned to face him.

“It’s about Lotor—” Shiro sighed and glanced away, “He’s—He’s been spotted about three galaxies away...about a week ago” He confessed.

“…What’d you mean?” Keith demanded.

“It means that he’s not banished anymore, it means that he’s out there somewhere, plotting,” Shiro said.

“You don’t think he’s…trying to find me?” Keith asked, Shiro, scooted closer and grabbed Keith’s hand. “Even if he is, I—we won’t let him take you,” he said firmly. Keith didn’t say anything, instead, he squeezed Shiro’s hand tighter.

Keith was terrified, he didn't have to voice, Shiro could tell just by the way his eyebrows were furrowed, he was biting his bottom lip raw, and his hands were trembling.

"You don't have to be scared, we're right here and we'll take him down before he even knows about you," Shiro said.

Keith still didn't say anything, not a good while. They sat in silence, hands desperately holding on to each other. Until Keith looked at Shiro and finally spoke.

“Back during the trails, I—I was in this little hut on a planet, my dad was there. I knew it was a hologram but it felt so real. My dad explained that that’s where I was born, where they accidentally left me. I saw where I was born, there were little Galra clothes, my clothes, toys, bottles.

It felt so real and I almost thought my dad was really there and suddenly the mood shifted, I heard explosions outside, I went to check from a little window that was built in the hut. I wasn't sure what I was expecting but I wasn't expecting the red lion to be looming in the far distance on a massive hill and coming from the other side were many Galra sentries, thousands of them. Leading them was Lotor, he looked just like how I saw him last. There was this unbearable rage inside me and my first thought was to _kill_ him, and I was going to if the vision hadn’t changed…I have the same feeling now Shiro,” Keith said and quickly turned to him.

The usual soft yellow eyes were blaring a bright yellow, almost as if it was glowing, “I want him to suffer so much, I want him _gone_ ,” he breathed and quickly closed his eyes, tears dripped down his cheeks.

Shiro’s eyes widened at the confession, he held back a gasp when Keith yanked his hands back and stood up before standing in front of Shiro.

“If that moment ever comes, I want you to swear that you will not stop me,” Keith stated. Shiro quickly shook his head and stood up as well, Keith didn’t step back instead he lifted his head to glare in Shiro’s eyes.

“I need you to promise me that,” Keith demanded.

“Keith, this isn’t right, you do realize what you’re talking about… _murdering_ someone,” Shiro said reaching for Keith’s biceps. Keith smacked an open palm on Shiro’s chest.

“He isn’t _someone_ , he is a monster. I am positive he’s killed many innocent lives, probably even my parents, he tortured me…he tortured you as well Shiro. Do not forget that, he assigned Sendak to you, knowing exactly how brutal Sendak is—was,” Keith seethed.

“Keith…”

“If you truly care for me, then you’ll promise me,” Keith said quickly and instantly regretted it when Shiro’s comforting eyes darkened. Shiro’s hands slipped from his biceps, Keith awkwardly looked away but didn’t apologize.

“Alright…I promise,” Shiro said.

Keith instantly relaxed and he turned to Shiro with a smile, “Thank—” his voice was cut off by harsh fingers on his jaw, an arm going around his waist and dragging him close, pressing his body against Shiro’s.

Keith held back a whimper as he was forced on his tiptoes, hands still on his jaw, pulling his head closer and Shiro spoke.

“—But, I will not stop anyone else from stopping you. I will not stop you but I cannot promise on anyone else’s behalf…and don’t blackmail me again,” Shiro stated coldly and released his grip on Keith who dropped back on his heels and stepped back.

“I didn’t—”

“—You did. I will forgive you just this once but don’t do it again,” Shiro said cutting Keith off and made his way towards his door, Keith watched with narrowed eyes as Shiro opened the door and walked out.

Keith finally brought his hands up to his jaw, it was aching slightly and Keith hoped that were would be no bruises. Keith clenched his jaw and stormed out as well, purposely bumping into Shiro on his way towards his own room. Keith ignored the annoyed grunt from behind him and held the tears.

Even if it bruised, it’ll be alright, he had a body full of scars, one more couldn’t hurt.

* * *

 

“You need to apologize or he needs to apologize but fix whatever rift you two have between each other cause one. First, it was Allura and you, now it's You and Keith. This fight is making our formation shaky and it’s awkward when you’re so tense, especially Keith, man he looks like he’s ready to kill the next person who bothers him,” Lance rambled.

Shiro sighed and rubbed his head, he messed up, the minute Keith really needed him, he acted like an asshole, he should’ve agreed and had the conversation over with but he had to pull his good guy card which in return had Keith pull the blackmail card and now Shiro in a pit of anger physically harmed Keith.

“I’ll fix it,” Shiro said getting up, Lance stared at him and crossed his arms, “Should I ask what you did?” Lance asked then narrowed his eyes, “Or ask what Keith did, cause I’m sure he’s not all sunshine and rainbows, I bet he has a dark streak. I mean, he is Galra after all,” Lance said but mostly to himself.

“Don’t worry about it, just a friendly dispute,” Shiro said ruffling Lance’s hair as he walked past him, he barely heard Lance mutter, “I wonder what friendly dispute that had Keith almost biting my hand off yesterday,” as the door closed behind him.

When Shiro found Keith, he wasn’t in the training room but on the viewing deck. The room was dark, saved for the bright light coming from the stars through the large windows, it looked like they were just about to pass through a space storm, the darkness was slowly starting to add colors of yellows and oranges as they ship passed through space.

“Did you need something?” Keith asked getting to his feet, he put his back to the windows, arms crossed in front of him and his whole body was tense but he didn’t stray from Shiro’s eyes.

“I wanted to speak to you,” Shiro said taking a step forward, he inwardly winced when Keith visibly tensed up, he watched as a dark flush spread across Keith’s cheeks and Shiro’s eyes roamed the skin and sighed in relief when he saw no mark.

A low rumbling of thunder came through the thick glass of the Castle and Keith turned to look over his shoulder before looking back at Shiro.

“I should apologize,” Keith started up, “I should not have used your friendship for something so cruel, I cannot imagine the pain I have caused you,” Keith said finishing off in a whisper. Shiro unclenched his hands and his shoulder slumped.

“So am I, I really didn’t mean to hurt you. I was just so angry and—”

“—I understand but you don’t have to apologize, I was being selfish, disrespectful, and my anger got the best of me. If you—if there’s a way you can forgive me?”

“I feel like no matter what you do, I’ll always forgive you,” Shiro said taking another step closer towards Keith, from this close he could clearly see the tears already gathering around his eyes. Shiro brought up his hand, fingers grabbing Keith’s jaw but gently this time.

“Can you forgive me for hurting you,” Shiro asked rubbing the soft purple skin, Keith’s shut his eyes and brought up his hand, closing his fingers around Shiro’s wrist. Thunder rumbled closer and Keith tightened his grip on Shiro’s wrist.

“You know I will always forgive you,” Keith murmured, Shiro found himself leaning down, getting dangerously too close. Shiro let his eyes close when he felt Keith’s warm breath on his face, they’re lips almost brushed when a loud crack of thunder came from the outside.

Shiro stumbled back and Keith blinked in confusion before glancing over his shoulder at now orangeish red clouds gathering around the castle, bolts of white lighting was seen clearly through the clouds.

“Have you ever witnessed a space storm before?” Keith asked turning his full body towards the window, he carefully placed his hands on the cold glass.

“Not really, have you?” Shiro said after catching his breath. Keith hesitated then shook his head a few seconds later. “I did not even know what the _universe_ looked like let alone a storm, although I did use to faintly hear the sounds of the storm,” Keith said.

“Is this how you imagined it would look like?” Shiro asked coming over to lean his hip against the window and stare at the passing clouds, little droplets of purple rain splattered against the glass and Keith’s eyes widened, his fingers tracing down the water droplets.

“Exactly how I imagined it, dangerous but so calming,” Keith said right after another loud crack of thunder.

“Calming isn't a word that most people use,” Shiro said laughing. Keith side eyed him and raised an eyebrow, “Then what would _most_ people describe storms?” Keith asked.

Shiro pursed his lips and blew out a breath, “I guess…depressing is a common word for thunderstorms, uh, let me see. I know my grandpa used to call it a waste of a day, he really liked to go out and just walk around the neighborhood, maybe find a place to drink cold beer, a good burger joint, then come right back home to tend his gardens. I know many people call storms scary,” Shiro said.

“Scary? I think it is rather opposite of scary, it is most relaxing,” Keith said humming, “That makes two of us then,” Shiro said.

“You find it comforting too?” Keith asked curiously stepping closer, Shiro gave a soft laugh and nodded, “I would imagine that the trauma I’ve been through, I would hate thunderstorms cause of the loud noises but it’s actually rather comforting,” Shiro confessed.

“I suppose…” Keith murmured trailing off, “I also feel the same. When I used to be a slave, I would tense up just by the sound of footsteps but when I would hear the sound of the storms the ship used to pass by, I would feel completely at ease as if it felt like I was safe,” Keith said.

“Did something different happen when it would storm?” Shiro asked, Keith paused to think, no everything was the same, the abuse was the same, although… “I would have fewer encounters of Lotor, most possibly because he was manning the ship, making sure the ship got through the storm carefully and…it would drown out the sounds of footsteps,” Keith said softly.

“When it would storm, there were no battles I had to fight,” Shiro confessed. Keith was silent after that and he leaned in his against the glass, feeling the vibration of the glass during the storm while watching it as the ship passed through it.

“Do you not feel anger to what Lotor and Zarkon did to you?” Keith asked after a while, the storm was slowly dying down and the clouds were less red and now a soft orange and yellow color.

“Of course I do, there’s this unreasonable amount of rage inside me but I have a lot of patience in me,” Shiro said.

“Patience? that sounds boring," Keith said rolling his eyes, Shiro sniffed and he reached out to gently tug at Keith’s front bangs making him grunt and move away.

“My grandpa taught me this when I was little, Patience yields focus. When my grandpa first started his garden, he made a small flower bed for me so I could grow my own flowers, but I would get tired of waiting for every day so I thought _‘let me overwater these seeds maybe they’ll grow faster,’_ they ended up dying and that’s when he told me those famous words. If your patient enough, you’ll be able to understand exactly what you’re doing and what happens next,” Shiro said.

“…And your flowers? Did you grow more?” Keith asked, Shiro grinned and he licked his bottom lip, “Of course I did. I wish I had pictures, but I had grown tons of flowers before I was even admitted into the garrison. That phrase is also I got being the top student,” Shiro said winking.

Keith pursed his lips and he curled his fingers against the glass, “Patience yields focus?” he murmured, Shiro nodded and he fully turned his body to the glass instead of leaning on it.

“Is this about me wanted to kill Lotor?” Keith asked, Shiro huffed a laugh and he tilted his head, glancing down at Keith who gazed up at him.

“Maybe…” he said trailing off, he held back a laugh when Keith’s eyes narrowed and he gave Shiro a hard punch on the arm, “Shiro!” he growled.

“Ow-! Okay, yeah it is,” Shiro said laughing dodging another punch, Keith let out of breathy growl and crossed his arms.

“Stop pouting—”

“—I am not—!”

“—I’m not saying to forgive Lotor and all his sins, but I’m saying is to not go head first into battle, blinded by rage. You might regret what you might do,” Shiro said.

Shiro watched as Keith bit his lip and turned away from Shiro, the older man held back a laugh and he rested his arm on Keith’s head, “You’re still pouting,” he stated.

“I am not an armrest! So disrespectful!” Keith hissed showing away Shiro’s hands like a cat, then let out a large huff, “I hate it when you are right,” Keith admitted and before Shiro could laugh he rounded on Shiro and pointed his clawed finger at Shiro.

“But you will not stop me from hurting Lotor, if I am to kill him, then you are allowed to stop me,” Keith stated. Shiro grinned and he curled his finger around Keith’s and did a little shake, “Deal” Shiro said.

Keith wrinkled his nose and yanked his hand back before taking a few steps back, “You have been sulking for a few quintents and you have also not showered,” Keith stated, Shiro’s cheeks heated up and Keith glared at him, “Go shower, you stink like an old  _Mulrit_ ,” Keith said.

Shiro ignored the insult and glanced at the storm, a slow smirk spread across his lips and he turned to Keith who narrowed his eyes cautiously at Shiro’s face, “You know there’s also a term for this type of weather,” Shiro said slowly.

“I do not like that face you are making,” Keith said taking a step back, Shiro gave him a playful closed eye smile, “Cuddle weather, this is the _perfect_ time for cuddling,” Shiro said opening his eyes.

“What is cuddling? Shiro step back you smell, no stop, do not get any closer! Shiro, I am warning you- _Gya!_ ” Keith’s voice cut off in a high pitched scream as Shiro made a grab for him, arms constricting tightly around Keith’s waist and lifting him off the ground and practically smothering him in Shiro’s body odor.

Keith gagged and tried to wiggle free but Shiro lifted him higher and rubbed his greasy hair on Keith’s cheeks neck and cheeks, “Let go of me!” Keith shouted his voice cut off into laughter as Shiro’s hair tickled his neck.

Keith managed a kick at Shiro’s shin and he stumbled free as Shiro released him in surprise. “I stink now because of you!” Keith hissed crossing his arm, Shiro laughed and he stretched his arms high above his head.

“I am heading to the showers and you better do the same,” Keith ordered. Shiro grinned again and he walked over towards Keith who glared up at him.

“Is that an invitation to shower together, Keith I thought you saw me as a brother,” Shiro teased, Keith’s sputtered and his cheeks flushed a dark purple, he smacked Shiro’s chest as the older man busted out into heavy laughter.

“Okay-okay, I’m sorry!” Shiro called as Keith stormed off, “Do not speak to me!” Keith called back.

“Aw come on Keith!”

* * *

 

“I think they deserve a speech,” Keith said picking up Shiro’s helmet, he walked over to the black paladin who looked pretty scared himself.

It was moments just before the final touches of the Teleduv and their attack on Zarkon himself, everyone was on edge and even Hunk snapped. It was something unlikely to see kids taking on a thousand-year-old emperor and his entire empire.

“I think so too,” Shiro said running his hands through his head, Keith managed a smile and his grip tightened on Shiro’s helmet.

“Hunk looked ready to throw up—again, I’ve never seen Lance this quite before, even Pidge is quite,” Keith said glancing over at the door before dragging his eyes back to Shiro who looked lost in his own thoughts.

“Shiro?”

“Hm?”

“I’m sure whatever you say will be fine, just give them a small bit of hope, you are their leader after all,” Keith said holding out the helmet, Shiro managed a smile and let their fingers brush as he took the helmet.

“I’ll be right beside you,” Keith added reaching up to brush a fallen eyelash from Shiro’s cheek, Shiro caught his wrist before Keith could blow it away.

“Make a wish,” Shiro said, Keith glanced up at him and he raised an eyebrow, “A wish?” he asked.

Shiro carefully plucked the eyelash from Keith’s fingers, he adjusted the helmet so it was tucked under his arm, he used his free hand to turn Keith’s wrist, palm facing down. He placed the eyelash on Keith’s hand, the lash instantly camouflaging on against the black cloth.

“Make a wish and blow away the eyelash, it’s like a good luck ritual that many people from earth do,” Shiro said.

“Does it work?” Keith asked curiously but he closed eyes despite being doubtful, Shiro smiled and he leaned in carefully, trying not to accidentally blow away the eyelash, and pressed his forehead against Keith’s.

“Depends on the amount of faith you have,” Shiro breathed closing his eyes. Shiro smiled when he felt Keith’s eyebrows pull.

“Humans must have a lot of faith on eyelash,” Keith murmured.

“Humor me,”

“Fine…I wish—”

“—You can’t say it out loud,”

“Humans are so weird,”

“Just do it,”

“….”

“Did you do it?”

“Of course, now what?”

“You blow away the eyelash,” Shiro said, his smile widened when he felt Keith’s soft breath blow against his face. “Is it done now?” Keith asked. Shiro hummed and he pulled away slightly, Keith opened his eyes slowly and as always, Shiro lost himself in Keith's eyes. It looked like the galaxy was stuck in his eyes.

“Shiro?” Keith asked.

“You dance now,” Shiro stated pulling away fully, Keith’s eyebrows furrowed and he crossed his arms, “I’m sorry, I do what now?” he demanded.

“Dance, ya know, like shimmy or something,” Shiro teased.

“You are so funny, Ha ha,” Keith drawled taking a step back, Shiro laughed and he pulled his helmet to the front holding it with both hands. Shiro let out a heavy sigh and he glanced at the heavy metal doors.

“So, speech time?”

“Speech time,”

Shiro gulped and he squared his shoulders and walked towards the double doors, he held his breath as it hissed open, Keith following closely behind him.

Five pairs of eyes snapped away from what they were doing and stared at the Duo, three looked ready to burst into tears.

“Right, so everyone knows the plan. I need no mistakes, remember what’s at stake here. I know this isn’t exactly what many of you planned on doing with your future, but we can’t back out now. The universe needs us and if we successfully go through with this plan and everything goes accordingly to, we can all go home within a year. If we defeat Zarkon, there will be rebel groups trying to start back up the empire. We’ll need to take back those enslaved planets and free them.

And we do not have just Zarkon to watch out for, we have his witch, according to Keith, she’s a powerful Galra who has magical powers and can easily manipulate and transform any creature into a monster. Other then the witch we have Lotor, Zarkon’s son. He was spotted a while back and Coran and I have been on the lookout. The Olkari have been helping along with the Balmera. But first things first, we defeat the main boss, the rest should be easily taken care of.

And just think, within a year, Hunk you can go back home and eat as many Calzones with your family as you want to. Lance, you can go back to Cuba with your family and have a nice vacation, and Pidge, I swear to you that we will find your brother and father before we return to earth,” Shiro said.

Hunk wiped his eyes and he nodded, Pidge and Lance nodded as well and they put on their helmets.

“Alright then team, let’s get this done with,” Shiro said then glanced over at Keith who stood close beside him and smiled up at him.

“Anything you want to say, right-hand man?” Shiro teased.

Keith turned to the group and gave them a serious look, “Just don’t die,” he stated.

“Comforting,” Lance stated, Shiro grinned and he squeezed Keith’s shoulder before turning to the group and putting on his own helmet.

“Let’s go,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh thank god, I didn't know when I was going to finish this chapter.  
> Also I did a really quick edit on this cause 1- I had head to work within an hour of posting it and 2- I knew if I held it back any longer, I wouldn't even get to it within a week so I was like "let me do this real quick before I forget," :\


	20. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah, sorry for such a late update :) forgive me :) I am so sorry :)

Things usually never go as planned, when has any of the Voltron plans gone right? None.

"Something's wrong with Shiro!" Keith cried piloting his lion into a nose dive towards the floating black lion. Pidge followed him and together they hauled the immobile lion towards the Castle.

The black lion fell with a solid thud, the sound echoing the large space and making the Castle shake. Once his lion was settled, Keith charged towards slumped lion, he could hear his heart pounding in his chest, his boots thumping steadily against the metal floors.

"Shiro!" Keith called panting, he didn't even check to see if the rest of the team was following him. His only thought was on Shiro,  _was Shiro okay, is he hurt, was he alive._  The last thought scared him and he almost tripped on his way.

Keith skidded to a halt, his body slamming against the metal lion and he frantically pushed open the emergency door. He grunted and the door slammed hard against the metal, Keith pushed himself in the cold and dark space of the Lion.

"Shiro?" Keith called, he quickly made his way towards the slumped figure in the black lion's seat. "Shiro?" Keith called again, he bent slightly and pushed up the body, another pair of hands reached out to pull off the helmet.

Keith glanced over at Hunk who gave him an uneasy look, Keith looked back at Shiro, the older man looked pale and his whole body was cold.

"Shiro?" Keith whispered cupping Shiro's cheeks, "He's freezing, we have to warm him up," Keith said grabbing one of Shiro's heavy arms and throwing it over his shoulder, Hunk did the same and together they hauled Shiro, his head lolling forward.

"Make room," Keith snapped at Lance and Allura who crowded the entrance, they quickly moved out of the way. With Hunk's help, Keith managed to move Shiro towards the infirmary with Coran toddling in front of him and making sure they were keeping up.

"Lay him here," Coran said motioning towards the bed, "Can we just put him in the pod?" Keith demanded but lay Shiro down on the bed. Coran clicked his tongue and shook his head, "The pod can only heal physical injuries. Shiro does have a few cuts and bruises but nothing that he can heal himself, but what we need to know is what's wrong with him and if he does need to acquire the pod for healing," Coran said.

Keith nodded and turned to Shiro, his heart clenched at the sight of Shiro looking practically dead. His lips were blue, his skin was so pale that Keith could see the thin blue-purple veins. Keith reached out and brushed back Shiro's sweaty bangs, his fingers trailing down his cold temple and slowly down the side of his face.

"He's so cold," Keith said looking up at Coran who pursed his lips, he glanced over at the unconscious paladin, "I need you to move out of the way young paladin," Coran said gently. Keith hesitated for a split second before pulling away and stood beside him. Keith didn't notice that the rest of the team were behind him and watching Coran work.

Keith sucked in his bottom lip, fingers clenching beside him as Coran pressed a few buttons on the bed and a transparent blue shield covered Shiro from head to toe, trapping him inside. Altean numbers and words appeared on the shield.

Coran glanced over at them and nodded his head to Allura who walked over, she stood next to Coran and read over the words, Pidge curiously walked over and peered at the words as well, her brows furrowing, and she wrinkled her nose.

"What does it mean?" Pidge asked breaking the silence, Allura let out a deep breath and reached to press her finger against the shield, it buzzed once and there was another set of letterings on the shield.

"He's fine, alive even but not here," Allura murmured.

"What does that mean?" Keith snapped, Allura gave him a glare and she took a deep breath, "I need you to calm down Keith. Shiro's alive and perfectly safe but his body is, not his soul. During the battle, the attack with the quintessence, he must have gotten a direct hit from it because his soul is trapped," Allura explained.

"What'd you mean!" Keith hissed, he could feel everything slip away, slowly, he can't lose Shiro again, he can't go through that again.

"My father used to talk about this place called the Astral plane, where souls ended up getting lost in. Shiro must've gotten stuck in there. When Shiro attacked Zarkon head one to retrieve his Bayard, his body must've still been vulnerable from the quintessence and a part of his soul must've gotten stuck and slowly he was disappearing from reality and heading towards the astral plane," Allura explained.

"It's confusing, I understand but all we need to do is find a way to get Shiro back—"

"—How! I never heard of this astral plane in my life before! I had studied, I may have been a slave but I did have books where I studied!" Keith shouted.

"Hey buddy, relax, it'll be okay," Hunk said but Keith shoved him off and walked over towards Allura who stood strong.

"Tell me the truth, where is Shiro!" Keith demanded.

"I told you, he's in the astral plane. It'll take time, probably a long time but we'll get him back. We have his body, so he has a spot to come to. We just need to find the right way to find his soul. Keith, please calm down, you need to think with a calm head!" Allura said.

Keith jerked his head away and glared at the floor, Allura sighed and reached out to squeeze his shoulder before turning to the group.

"We all should rest, it's been a long battle," Allura said moving away from him slowly, Keith glanced at Shiro, his fingers itched to run through his short hair, to hold on to his heavy warm hands, feel them around his waist.

"Who will pilot the black lion?" Keith called, his eyes never leaving Shiro's body.

"Well figure it out in the morning," Allura responded back after a tense silence, Keith swallowed and slumped down on the stool next to Shiro.

"You need your rest young paladin," Coran said coming to stand beside Keith, the older Altean could understand the grief that Keith was emitting, it was hard to find peace when the ones you loved are suffering.

"Let me stay...just for a bit, I promise I will sleep just let me stay," Keith whispered.

"...Alright," Coran said lifting his hand to placing it gently on top of Keith's head, "I will return after a half a varga, I expect to you be gone or ready to leave. You need to rest if we need to find a way to bring Shiro home," Coran said softly, he didn't wait for Keith's response and walked towards the door where Allura was waiting for him.

"He's mourning, do not be too hard on him," Coran said, Allura sighed in defeat, "Alright but that does not give him the right to yell every time," she said. Coran gave her a closed eye smile and led her to her bedroom.

Once the door was closed, Keith reached through the shield and grabbed onto Shiro's hand, as expected it was cold as ice, it sent shivers down Keith's spine and his eyes watered.

"We'll bring you home, I'll bring you home, just wait for me," Keith whispered leaning down, his face pushing past the shield, he landed a soft kiss on Shiro's forehead, his cheek, then finally at the corner of his lips.

"I promise you, I will bring you home."

* * *

 

"I hate this," Lance muttered, Pidge glanced over from her spot on the counter, Hunk was beside her mixing a bowl of space cookie batter.

"You need to let it go, you just can't have what you want just because you think you deserve it," Pidge said. Lance flushed and he crossed his arms, "I know but I still hate it. I don't trust red, Keith probably trained it to bite my head off!" he hissed.

"Awe come on Lance, Keith wouldn't do that," Hunk said giving his friend a look while grabbing a tray from behind him.

Pidge scooped out a decent size of dough and place it on the tray before reaching in to grab more, "I think it would help Keith, I mean he did lose someone who he really cares about, it'll help him feel closer to Shiro," Pidge said.

"Whatever, I still think if I can't be the leader, Allura should be it. She's more mature then Keith and can keep a level head. Have you seen him in battle! He's like a fast ninja!" Lance cried out, then instantly sobered up when the doors opened and Keith walked in with Allura behind him looking slightly peeved.

All three of them tensed up, they knew that if Allura looked annoyed that Keith was going to do something reckless.

"Hey, I'm making space cookies, they should taste like peanut butter but we'll see," Hunk said trying to cheer up the already dampened tension.

"I would love some peanut butter space cookies, Hunk," Allura said smiling at him. Hunk grinned back then glanced over at Keith who was watching the group with a tense frown and cold eyes.

"We need to move onto the next step. Zarkon's either dead or almost dying, not sure but all we know that he's out of the picture—for now. Now we move onto Lotor and the witch," Keith said.

"What! Are you crazy! I think we should relax for a bit, we just came back from a huge ass battle!" Lance cried then tensed up when Keith turned his cold eyes towards him slowly.

"I said we're going after Lotor and the witch, the witch possesses some sort of magic and maybe we can extract valuable information and probably get clues on how to bring Shiro back," Keith said and narrowed his eyes at Lance who scoffed.

"I for one, think this is a horrible idea," Lance said holding up his hand, he glanced over at Hunk and Pidge, they looked nervous and looked away quickly.

"I do not care for your opinion, we're going after Lotor and that's final," Keith stated. Lance's lips pulled back into a sneer and he stood up quickly, "Whatever happened to us being a team! I'm sure Shiro wouldn't like the way you're leading us!" he snapped.

Keith's cheeks flushed and he took a step closer to Lance who held his ground, "Shiro's not the leader anymore, not until we bring him home. Till then, I'm the leader and what I say will go," Keith hissed.

"Uh buddy, not to be that guy but I think we should take a day off to relax, I mean it'll be good for us and for you! I mean your wrist is still bandaged, right?" Hunk said stepping in.

"Thank you for your concern Hunk but the faster we take action the better," Keith said then stumbled back in surprise when Lance gave him a shove.

"Look, pal, just because you're the black lion's new paladin, doesn't mean you're the leader!" Lance snarled.

"Whoa, hey, okay let's not get physical with each other, it's just going to end badly," Pidge said hopping off the counter before Keith could throw a punch at Lance.

"How would you lead then? Go on, show me your leadership skills," Keith hissed crossing his arm.

Lance scoffed and crossed his arm, "Obviously, I would take it easy, relax, chill, nobody's going anywhere. Save a few planets here and there, obviously find some leads on Lotor, but I'll be a cool leader, I'll be just like Shiro but obviously I'll attract for of the ladies" Lance stated with a wink and an easy grin.

"Taking it slow? We do not have time to wait, for Shiro, for Pidge's family, for anyone! We're in war Lance! Get it through your thick head! I'm the leader now and this is how I will lead, we're going after Lotor!" Keith hissed.

"Lance, Keith's right, we can't just sit around and relax, you just can't go with the flow your entire life," Pidge said taking a step closer to Keith. "I'm with Keith on this, we need to take action, we've had enough time to relax and now we have to go back out there," she added.

"Hunk! Buddy you gotta help me here, do you honestly think going after Lotor immediately is a great idea! I mean we could just save planet by planet, take back what the Galra took from them, baby steps ya know!"

Hunk fiddled with his fingers before slowly shaking his head, "Lance this isn't high school, we have to take risk and Keith is initially right, it's risky and headstrong, we're not used to that with Shiro, but Keith's not wrong in this matter, the faster the better," he said slowly.

Lance's mouth fell open and he snapped his shut and glared at Keith who stared back at him, not smugly, no he didn't look smug at all, he knew he was right. "We should head to the bridge, Slav is waiting for us," Keith said and looked away from Lance towards Hunk, Pidge, then finally Allura who was surprisingly quiet throughout the whole exchange.

Keith was the first one to head towards the door with Pidge following closely behind, Hunk patted Lance on the shoulder before following Keith.

"He's such a bonehead," Lance muttered crossing his arms, Allura sighed and walked over and sat down beside Lance who plopped down beside her.

"He may be hard headed but he's right, we're wasting too much time," Allura said.

"I guess but man why he has to be right all the time!" Lance whined.

"Lance, I told you this before. Keith and Shiro were very compatible. Shiro being the leader and Keith being the right-hand man, I need you to be there for Keith whereas sometimes we cannot. He's still grieving, he lost someone whom he adored very much. Coran already told me this but do not be too hard on him, you might not know what it's like to lose someone you care about but I have and I can understand what he's going through. Just—be there for him, please I beg of you. You two might grow closer and bond, never know. I know that you do not see Keith as a friend, a teammate yes, but not a friend like Hunk or Pidge. Please get over this one-sided rivalry that you created and be the right-hand man that he deserves. You need to be there to pull him back if he goes too far," Allura said.

Lance blew out a breath and scratched his nose, "Fine," he muttered. Allura sighed in relief and she grabbed Lance's hand making him squeak and his cheeks heated up when Allura smiled at him.

"That's all I ask of you," she said, Lance gave a jerky nod and his mouth fell open as Allura tucked a strand behind her hair and slowly get up from her seat, their hands falling apart and Lance watched her disappear behind the door. Lance grinned and his legs jiggled rapidly before he let out harsh "Yes!"

"Hehe, I knew it, there was no way she could not fall for Mclain charm,"

* * *

 

"That was the last sighting of Lotor, after that his trail leads ends dead," Pidge said pointing to the bright pink planet, Keith sighed and rubbed his temples, it had been a rough week for them. Finding Lotor was one thing but forming Voltron with one new paladin and two changed paladins was another.

That had taken a while to do, there was a lot of yelling, name-calling, and blaming. Most of it was just Keith and Lance but even Hunk got annoyed and told Lance to shut up and deal with it. After that, it had taken Allura some time to get used to Blue, piloting a Castle was verses piloting a giant blue mechanic lion that might possess some magical abilities.

By the time they had gotten all their issues set, finding Lotor was the most difficult task, he kept disappearing from their grasp every second, he was always a step ahead of them. It frustrated the heck out of Keith and he had either taken his anger out on the team or the poor training bot.

"This is useless!" Keith growled, Pidge pursed her lips and glanced away awkwardly, Hunk was fiddling with his fingers nervously and Lance was lounging in the back with his mouth open as he yawned obnoxiously.

"Uh Keith, I know I did say we shouldn't relax but um, we've been up for more than twenty-four hours, I don't know how Galra body works but humans get tired after a good sixteen hours," Hunk said.

Keith sighed and nodded, "I'm sorry, I forgot--please go ahead and rest," Keith said feeling his cheeks heat up. Hunk sighed in relief and Lance was already out the door, "It's okay man, I'll uh see you tomorrow then or whenever," Hunk said getting up, he walked over to Pidge who was waiting for him by the door and Keith watched them leave before slumping down in his chair.

He barely heard the sound of footsteps and flinched when he felt a hand on his wrist.

"Keith I do believe you should rest as well, we'll check out the planet once we all have slept and ate," Allura said.

Keith slowly got up and nodded, "I'm—I'm going to go check on Shiro," Keith whispered, he ignored Allura's protest and made his way out of the room and towards the infirmary where Shiro body was resting.

Shiro looked the same as the day they brought him in. Dead, that's the perfect word to describe what the man looked like.

Shiro's skin had a blue tint to it, there was no oxygen flowing through his body, he should be getting weaker, but Coran said the power from the Castle was keeping him from losing weight, but it wouldn't last long considering how much power it took to keep Shiro's body looking fit.

"They miss you," Keith said sitting down beside him and reaching inside to grab Shiro's hand, his hand was enveloped in the cold air that Shiro's body was kept at, his body was rigid and not at all plait. He even felt dead.

Tears sprung Keith's eyes and he sucked in his bottom lip, "I miss you too," Keith whispered squeezing the rigid hand. "It is hard to lead Voltron, I do not like it. I wish you were here, they listen to you more than me. My anger takes control of me sometimes and I feel guilty afterward, but I am trying my best to follow your lead. I wish the team would be more patient with me, especially Lance. I do not like it when he always argues with me," he said rubbing his thumb over Shiro's knuckles, he brought it out from the shield and pressed a kiss to the cold hand before pressing it against his cheek.

"Just wait a little longer, I'll bring you home," Keith whispered lowering Shiro's hand back into his space before getting up and made his leave, he tensed up when the door opened and Lance walked in.

"Y-You? What're you doing here?" Lance exclaimed pointing at him, Keith narrowed his eyes and he glanced over at Shiro before turning his glare to Lance who pursed his lips awkwardly and rocked on his heels.

"Uh right," Lance said thinning his lips, "Do not bother him," Keith stated. Lance scoffed and he crossed his arms, "So it's only you can visit him? Not anyone else, uh excuse me? But he was my hero first!"

"I never said that I just meant do not disturb him and Shiro was never just a hero to me, he was actually someone I cared for, not just an idol," Keith snapped and brushed past him.

Lance watched him go, he let an annoyed groan when he felt a small hint of guilt, he glanced at Shiro then grunted before chasing after Keith and skidded in front of him. Keith glared at him and Lance raised his hands in surrender.

"Look, uh we've been butting heads kind of often and I just wanna let you know that—look I'm sorry I've been such a dick head, yeah you've been kind of an asshole as well cause with all the yelling and barring your teeth like a cat but I miss Shiro too and so does everyone else, well all want him back. So, um, I can be an asshole but most of the stuff I don't mean, I'm a blabbermouth so don't take everything to heart...um..."

Keith blew out a harsh breath and his softened his glare, "I can also agree that I've been not very kind to you or anyone, I am sorry for that but I cannot control my frustration and I do lash out on occasion, I do not mean to be angry all the time," he said then managed a smile at Lance who gave a cheesy grin back.

"I will forgive you if you forgive me, also try not to irk me too much, you are also the main cause of my frustration," Keith teased.

Lance snorted and he gave Keith a playful punch on his arm, "Yeah so as your right-hand man it's my job to be annoying as hell," he teased back.

Keith gave him a look and jerked his head towards the door, "I am sure you'll want to talk to Shiro as well, I'm sorry for assuming that you would disturb him," he said.

Lance shrugged and he waved him off, "Nah man, it's chill. Besides I get it, you're protective of him, after everything he's been through, I can understand why" Lance said and frowned when Keith's smile fell.

"Do you think we'll find him? Find a way to the astral plane?" Keith asked, Lance bit his lip but nodded, "Of course we will. You just gotta have hope and I'll be right here beside you and so will everyone else," Lance said.

Keith smiled up at him and held out his hand, "Thanks Lance," he said softly. Lance cheeks heated up and he held back the sappy smile from his face, "I told you, it's cool," he said reaching for the hand and dragging Keith close making him grunt in surprise when Lance wrapped his arms around him in a hug.

"What're you doing?" Keith asked his voice muffled from his head being smothered by Lance's hoodie.

"I'm hugging you bro or is this only reserved for Shiro," he said and yelped when Keith pinched him. "An apology for shoving you that one time," Lance added stepping back. Keith's eyes narrowed and he pointed a finger at him making Lance gulp.

"I will not let you off easy for that," he said roughly then instantly smiled, "Alright, I have to go and get some sleep," Keith said and walked past a confused Lance.

"You've fallen for a weird guy, Shiro," Lance muttered scratching his head. "Am I forgiven or..." he trailed off then turned to the direction where Keith disappeared.

"Uh hey, Keith! Buddy! Pal! Am I forgiven!" Lance called chasing after Keith.

"Buddy!"

* * *

 

"Lotor's been taking over his father's position," the alien said, she stood protectively in front of a child who gazed up at the paladins in awe.

"Zarkon's alive?" Allura asked the alien moved her narrowed eyes from Keith to Allura, her gaze softening instantly and she nodded. "From what we heard, he's been injured and on his deathbed, thank the universe for that. We did not know how long that vile Galra would be alive for but now we have Lotor taking over his role. We just hope that Voltron can take him down just as they did Zarkon and finish the job," she said then yanked back her child when she took a step closer to Keith.

"Galra," the child said pointing at Keith who moved his solid eyes to her, he tilted head and flicked his ears. "I am," he stated. The child frowned and looked him up at down, "No evil?" she asked.

"No evil," Keith confirmed. The mother glared at Keith and quickly yanked the child back behind her. "We must go, I have a house to attend to," she said turning to smile politely at Allura who nodded and stepped back, the mother turned her gaze back to Keith and gave him one last glare and yanked her child with her towards her home.

"She was of no use," Keith stated leaning back up again, his eyes on the mother and child walk towards the hill, Allura nodded and she looked over her shoulder at Hunk and Lance chatting up with other locals.

"This is where Lotor attacked last, he stole a few power crystals from here, they must've heard something," Allura said she tapped Keith's shoulder when she saw Hunk and Lance thank the locals and jog towards them.

"Find anything?" she asked, Lance grinned and leaned an elbow on Hunk's shoulder.

"Lotor's apparently has a few hybrid Galra generals with him, one of the locals heard that he was heading towards the Piluxus Galaxy," Lance said, then held ups four fingers, "Four generals, one large and bulky, one blind with a cat and can control peoples minds, one swift blue general with a gun and one red and yellow. So looks like we don't just have one we have four others to defeat. I'm sure they're just as powerful and smart as Lotor," Lance said.

"Once we're through with them, we just have two more heads to cut off and that's it, that's the end of the Galra empire, it shouldn't be hard once we take down Lotor and his generals. We have Voltron and they don't have anything to back them up," Keith said.

"Should be pretty simple," Hunk said grinning.

"Uh did you forget that one can control minds! What if she controls me! What if she makes me kill you one of you guys or take you hostage! Or makes me kill myself! Or makes me hand over Voltron! Hunk I'm too vulnerable for this! I'm too young to get possessed and die!" Lance cried wrapping his arms around Hunk's arm and shaking it.

"You're not going to die, get a grip!" Keith hissed and blew out a breath, "Alright here's the plan, we obviously head to the Piluxus, find where Lotor is, we can use Pidge's green lion to track him, we have to figure out what he's doing first, we can't go head first in attack," Keith said.

"Oh~! What was that? Keithy boy? No attack first? Research first? Let me hear you say that one more time! No attack but research?" Lance said cupping his ear and toddling closer to Keith who glared at him.

"You better step away or I will have you face down in the dirt," Keith threatened. Lance didn't move and instead, he moved closer, "Keithy Keith is growing up so fa-Ack! Ow! What was that for!" Lance cried when Keith shoved him to the floor, his back hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

"Payback for that shove and or being an asshole as you said before," Keith said grinning.

"Rude ass," Lance muttered and accepted Hunk's hand to help him back up. "Right, so onwards to Piluxus?" Lance said.

"Yes, to Piluxus," Keith confirmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE! I'm gonna update the next chapter either this Sunday night or Monday morning :)
> 
> also, who's excited for 'Crazy Rich Asians' I FOR ONE, HELL AM! like yo man! I'm so so so pumped! finally, after so long, a full cast of Asian's (Asian representation!) I'm not east Asian(South Asian here!) but my friend is Japanese/Malaysian mix and he's so pumped! I'm so happy for him!   
> also, fuck those who think this movie is a stereotypical cliche movie. Excuse me, I've had to deal with so many white romcoms like this, so let me and all my Asians friends have this. I've read the book, so let me tell you, there's so much more to this movie then they show in the trailer! :) 
> 
> THEY BETTER NOT FUCK UP MULAN!! D:< bring back my bisexual Shang! bring back the songs! bring everything back!


	21. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well it's updated, not how I planned but eh it's still up! only a few hours late, more like a good 24hrs later :3
> 
> Also, It's kind of not been professionally edited, all my chapters aren't as you guys can tell. I'm trying to get on my friends to edit it but he's kind of being a butt about the whole ordeal :\
> 
> I'm obviously going to edit the full story once it's finished or if I find someone before the stories finish and update the chapters, week by week. But for now, please bear with my amateur editing :}

They found Lotor sooner then they thought, Pidge had modified all the lion with the invisibility cloak that helped them travel through space. Pidge even did that with the Castle but it only lasted for a short time, considering the massive size of the Ship.

Lotor wasn't in sight but his pod was, along with a bulky Galra hybrid who was keeping watch, she was throwing a large rock up and down while leaning against the pod.

"She's massive," Lance whispered from where they were hiding, "Keep your voice down, I'm sure she has excellent hearing," Keith said softly, Lance gave him a thumbs up and hunkered down even more.

Pidge was in her lion doing a scan on the rocky planet, Hunk was with her and making sure she stayed safe. It was up to Allura, Keith, and Lance attack from their positions.

"What'd you think she's doing?" Lance asked.

"Keeping watch you, idiot," Keith stated with an eye roll.

"Can you two stop bickering like little children!" Allura hissed turning to glare at them.

Lance and Keith both pointed at each other and Allura rolled her eyes and turned back to the Galra, it was odd that she was just waiting there, calmly. What was her scheme? Allura thought.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a blast hitting the rocks where her hand was before making it explode. They all gasped and Lance instantly had his hand wrapped around Allura's wrist.

"Look out!" Keith called dodging form another blast, a general shot down in front of Keith with a blaster in his hand. Keith dodged the shot with the flat side of his Bayard.

Lance and Allura already had their hands full on the large Galra who jumped into action. Keith dodged another blast and charged her, she jumped out of the way and Keith grunted and twisted around, the edge of his blade catching her thigh.

"Where is Lotor!" Keith demanded, swinging his sword towards her wrist, the general didn't answer and instead tossed her blaster to her other hand and made a shot at Keith's waist, which he dodged just in time.

"Axca let's go! We don't have time for this!" the other general called, tossing Lance towards Allura, they both fell in a heap a few feet away. The distraction gave Axca the perfect chance to plant a heavy foot on Keith's chest and shoving him back into the ground below and chasing after the other general and towards their pod.

"No!" Keith shouted pushing himself to his feet, he chased after the pod but it was too late, they had already taken off and were gone before Keith to could reach.

"No!" Keith hissed, he yanked his helmet off and ran a hand through his hair as he paced. He needed to defeat Lotor, he needed to bring Shiro back, why was everything going so slow and not going his way, why was it so difficult?

"Keith, it's okay, we have next time," Allura said. Keith held back from snapping at her and nodded, "We should head back to Pidge and Hunk," Lance said holding out Keith's helmet for him to grab.

Keith hesitantly took it and clenched it to his chest, it was a shameful walk back to their lions and towards the green and yellow lion.

"We always have next time Keith," Allura said placing a hand on his arm, Keith couldn't even manage a smile and nodded as he headed towards Pidge's lion with Lance toddling after him.

* * *

 

The next day, they tried to come up with another plan but it was useless, Keith wasn't Shiro, he didn't know how to lead, or to even come up with a decent plan.

Keith rubbed his head as he slumped down in his seat--no Shiro's seat. It was useless.

Lance glanced over at Keith and he wiggled his fingers anxiously, he hesitated for a split second before he spoke up.

"Uh I might have an idea," he said awkwardly, they looked towards him and it was the first time Lance didn't like the attention on him. But it was too late, he had already spoken.

"So, um, I was thinking that maybe instead of chasing after Lotor, what if that's what he wants? You know like the whole cat and mouse game, he wants us to chase us—maybe, not sure but what if he  _does_. So, instead of us chasing after him, we attack one of his post, a heavily guarded and powerful post. Lotor won't expect it and then he'll swoop in and be like _'Ay who touch ma post!'_  and then Voltron would be like  _'_ _t'was_ _I evil purple man!'_  then we fight and ta-da! We have Lotor and the generals in our clutches!" Lance finished throwing up his hands in the air with a massive grin.

Keith blinked and he furrowed his brows, "That's—that's actually a great plan, why didn't you say it before Lance?" Keith asked standing up.

Lance rocked on his heels and crossed his arms behind his head with flushed cheeks and a sheepish grin, "Heh,"

Keith turned to Coran who was already searching through the lists of the post that Zarkon had control over, "Did you find any?" Keith asked, Coran nodded and put on the hologram.

"It's not far from here, Lotor's also been spotted traveling in and out of the post many times. The Blades have a spy there who's been trying to extract information there for a long time, all we must do it destroy the armory, the battle cruises guarding the post and take the medical supplies, we could use those for other smaller planets who have no source of medication. I'll contact Kolivan and tell him to inform the spy so we don't by mistake attack him," Coran said.

"When can we attack?" Keith asked hovering behind Coran, the older man shook his head and crossed his arms. "Not immediately I'm afraid, we'll need confirmation from Kolivan so he can warn his spy  _then_ we attack. For now, the only thing we can do is just sit back and wait until we get the confirmation," Coran said.

Keith blew out his breath and nodded, he knew there was no fighting this so he agreed even though waiting made him super anxious, he could hardly sleep, he needed something to do all the time.

"Well I'm beat, I'm going to shower and catch some z's," Lance said stretching his arms above his head, "Same," Hunk said getting up.

"Ditto," Pidge replied, Keith watched the trio leave the room and he turned to Allura who watching him, "You should shower too," she said.

Keith watched them go and turned towards the holographic sight of Lotor's post, it was massive, at least four battlecruisers circling the area, thousands of fighter pilots, two ion cannons and many more probably hidden in the area. It was going to be a large battle but it would be worth it to defeat Lotor.

This plan has to go exactly as it should or else could fail.

* * *

 

"I'm counting on you," Keith said gripping the handles of the black lion, the lion purred in his mind and Keith grinned.

"Right let's go," Keith whispered and started up the Lion, he opened up the comms and narrowed his eyes at the team. "We only have one try at this, try not to mess up. Pidge you will fly in first, scout the area, get your drones to find a way into the control. Hunk, you and Lance take control of the battle cruises, Allura and I will sneak inside and take out the sentries while Pidge talks us through from the control room.

"Hunk and Lance, if you two need help, contact Coran, he'll come through. Is that clear?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah but what if it doesn't work," Lance said, Keith's jaw clenched and he glared at Lance who bristled.

"It  _will_ work," he said roughly and closed the comms. Keith took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "This has to work," Keith said to himself and opened his eyes, he yanked the control panels forward and let the lion shoot out from the castle.

Keith activated his cloaking device and looked at his map, he locked his eyes on Pidge's dot on the map and watched her fly between the fighter pilots and battlecruisers until she stopped. Keith sighed in relief when he got her confirmation that she was inside and was scouting through towards the control room.

 _"It's heavily guarded but I bet I can fit through the vents,"_ Pidge said, Keith swallowed and felt like he was waiting forever. His hands started sweating through the gloves and his feet wouldn't stop tapping impatiently.

_"I'm in!"_

Keith lowered his head in relief and smiled and opened up the comms again, Lance and Hunk's face appeared and he nodded to them.

"It's all up to you two now, if you two need help, I can easily send Allura back—"

 _"—Psh! No way, Hunk and I got this,"_  Lance said grinning, Hunk nodded despite being nervous no more than two Vargas ago, he looked confident and Keith felt at ease again. Keith closed the comms and looked back at his map and saw the two lions shot out, lasers blasting and attack the fighter pilots.

Luckily they were still under the invisibility cloak so it confused the fighter pilots and they started shooting at random spots, accidentally attacking their own.

"We should go now," Keith said to Allura. "I'm right behind you, lead the way," Allura said. Keith swallowed and tightened his grip on the handles and shot forward, he dodged the attacks and flew lower with Allura right behind him.

They landed their lions right next to Pidge's and sneaked inside through the door that Pidge sneaked in through.

"This is odd," Allura said narrowing her eyes at the empty corridors, Keith frowned and looked at her. "I would suspect with the sudden attack, they would have Sentries posted at every entrance, even Pidge said the whole place was guarded heavily," she said.

"Let's not think about it now. Pidge? Which level are the medical supplies?" Keith asked through the comms.

 _"The floor above you, for some reason, I'm not getting any more readings of sentries or galra inside the building, they're all heading out from the back, uh Keith I'm not sure about this,"_  Pidge said. Keith ignored her and made his way towards the second floor, he followed the map that Pidge sent a tick later.

Keith glanced behind him to see Allura looking at him sadly, he frowned and snapped his head back and continued his way. Keith paused when he arrived at the second level, his eyes scanned the hallways and his ears twitched.

There was--nobody on this level, he couldn't hear any footsteps or anything else. Keith swallowed and activated his Bayard and took the left turn towards the medical room.

"Keith..." Allura said from behind, Keith glanced at her and he slowed to a stop when Allura wouldn't move from her spot.

"What is it? We cannot waste time," Keith said fullying turning around to look at her. Allura shook her head slowly, "Did you not get Lance's message?" she asked.

Keith frowned and shook his head, Allura's eyes narrowed and she raised Bayard, "The battlecruisers retreated along with the fighter pilots, this whole place is empty," she said. Keith exhaled sharply.

"Pidge! What's the status!" Keith snarled through the comms, Pidge answered immediately but hesitantly, " _It's empty, the guards evacuated once Lance and Hunk started attacking, Keith the drones did an entire check of the post. There's nobody here unless they got some sick cloaking that can surpass my drones."_

Jaw clenched, Keith ignored her and turned on his heel to head towards the medical room, he ignored Allura's protest and sped up. Once he saw the doors of the medical room, Keith lifted his sword and charged forward, slicing through the control pad, it let out a vibrating beep and the doors slammed open.

Keith held back a scream when he saw that it was completely empty and worst of all--no medical supplies in sight.

"Watch out!"

Keith's eyes widened and he quickly raised his sword when another sword came out of nowhere and slammed into his.

Keith's eyes widened at the Galra general in front of him, the uniforms were entirely different but Keith already knew who they belonged to. With a frustrated grunt, Keith shoved back with all his might and when the general stumbled back, Keith lifted his leg and kicked them right in the gut and when they hunched over, Keith swung his sword, catching their arm.

The general took out a gun and shot at him but a whip came out of nowhere and took the attack of the laser. The general turned to Allura and shot at her while another general fell from the ceiling, she was slimmer and taller, a red and yellow appendage coming out of her helmet.

She charged straight towards him and Keith raised his shield, his whole body skidding back. Keith grunted and dodged another hit from her leg with his shield, his back hit the wall from her brute force and Keith let out another grunt.

This time, Keith rolled out of the way when her leg came at him again, Keith swung his sword and let out a surprised gasp when her body bent back, dodging from the attack, Keith twisted around quickly and kicked her side, the general fell down with a surprised yelp and Keith swung his sword downwards.

The general yelped and rolled out of the way, "Oh my universe, are you trying to kill me?" She whined dusting off her shoulders, Keith was momentarily confused and she took that distracted to use the same attack Keith did on her to him. However, Keith caught her leg and twisted it making her squeak and hit the floor with a pained grunt.

Keith released her when he felt something twist around his ankle, he let out a surprised scream as he was yanked back and sailed through the air and landing on someone, they both tumbled down roughly.

"Narti~ You hit Lotor, can't you see! Oh wait haha sorry?~"

Keith blinked and rolled off the guy, he reached for his Bayard when suddenly his helmet was being lifted off of him, Keith's whole body froze when he saw who took off his helmet.

"Hello kitten, it's been forever since you ran away," Lotor teased tossing Keith's helmet over his shoulder. Keith swallowed, he felt like his whole body was frozen, he couldn't move even if he wanted too, he was itching and clawing from the inside to move but he couldn't, he felt like he was paralyzed.

Keith couldn't even shut his eyes when Lotor reached out and caressed his cheeks, claws slowly going down his cheeks, tears welled up.

"You are just as pretty as I remembered, now why did you run away? I loved you, my dear," Lotor cooed, his claws now digging into Keith's jaw, his nose was filled with the familiar smell of blood, he could feel it slowly drip down his jaw and slide down his neck, a few drops fell onto his knees, staining his white armor.

"I knew you looked pretty in red but this—this is a whole another level," Lotor said eyes scanning Keith's armor.

"Keith! Keith break out of it!" Allura screamed somewhere from Keith's left, he heard a pained grunt and his fingers itched to grab break free but he couldn't.

Lotor finally looked away from Keith and glared at Allura, his nostrils flared and his lips pulled back, "Quiet the Altean scum!" he hissed.

Keith's hears flicked when he heard Allura scream in pain which was soon muffled.

_Get up! Get up please! Get UP!_

Keith's eyes flicked and he glanced to his left where his Bayard left, not too far away. Keith glanced back at Lotor who was still barking orders at his generals.

"Narti, Ezor, you two go check the front to make sure kitten's new friends don't show up. Axca you go to the control room, I know that's where the green paladin is hiding," Lotor snarled.

_You're in danger and so are your friends. Get up. Now!_

Keith slowed his breathing and his fingers twitched, when Lotor finally glanced back, his eyes narrowed and Lotor's eyebrows furrowed.

It all happened in a split second, Keith retracted his own claws and swiped them in Lotor's face, he made sure he dug deep into the monster's face before rolling over on his knees to grab his Bayard which he used to fling towards the largest General who was holding Allura in an uncomfortable position. The sword impaled in the general's arms making her scream in pain and Allura finally scrambled up.

Keith swung around and grabbed the fist coming his way, he kicked upward and caught Lotor's gut and twisted his body around, fist still in hand and heaved Lotor over his back and flung him on his back in front of him and twisted his fist again, he ignored the pained scream from Lotor and kicked Lotor's jaw.

"Let's go!" Keith screamed, Allura stumbled towards him and Keith grabbed her hand and helped her out of the room, her leg was injured and Keith could feel his heart weigh heavy with guilt. He should've listened but he was dead set on finding Lotor, he didn't think of the trap that they just walked into.

 _"Pidge! Get out of there! It's a trap!"_  Allura called through the comms when they didn't get a response, his heart dropped.

"Get to your lion, I'm going after Pidge," Keith hissed shoving Allura towards the area where they entered from you. Allura didn't need to be told twice but not before shoving Keith's helmet at him, "Be careful" was all she said and ran towards her lion. Keith watched her go and once she was sure she had taken off, he made his way towards the control room.

"Pidge! Pidge can you hear me! Say something, make a sound, anything to let me know you're okay!" Keith called through the comms.

Keith gritted his teeth and headed towards the control, he skidded to a halt in front of the door, his heart dropping low when he saw the door clawed open. Keith slowly stepped towards it, he jumped when the doors creaked and fell forward with a loud clang. Heart in his throat, Keith walked forward, his eyes widened when he saw Pidge slumped over the table, he jumped over the doors and ran towards her, he quickly picked her up and cradled her head on his shoulder and turned around only to be met with one of the generals, gun up.

Keith's eyes narrowed and held her stare, the general's gun charged up and Keith quickly got his shield up, but the blast only grazed his shield, when he lowered the shield he saw Hunk standing there with his canon. The general was out cold, her gun far away from her.

"Thanks," Keith said, Hunk eyes softened, and he glanced over at Pidge. "No problem but I do believe you owe Pidge and Allura an apology," he said. Keith smiled despite the situation and walked over towards him.

"I know," he said and let Hunk lead him out towards his lion where its mouth was smashed through the walls. Hunk deactivated his Bayard and held out his arm, Keith transferred Pidge to him and stepped back.

"You better get to your lion, Lance and Allura already carried Green back to the Castle," Hunk said. Keith nodded and ran towards his own Lion. Black was already ready waiting for him with her mouth open. Keith sighed and patted the metal jaw while hurrying in.

"I'm sorry about this," Keith murmured as he sat down, The lion took off and Keith finally sagged against his seat, "I should've listened," he murmured closing his eyes letting black pilot him towards the Castle where a wormhole was waiting for them.

The plan had failed, Lotor as always was steps ahead of them. He always was. Keith landed the lion in her spot and slowly got up. Keith made his way down the ramp and was met with an irritated-looking Lance and a concerned Hunk.

"Why didn't you listen to Allura!" Lance shouted waving his hands in the air once Keith got out, Hunk placed a hand on Lance's arm.

"Look we all make mistakes and Keith understands his mistake so lay off," Hunk said but Lance pointed a finger at him, "He hurt Allura and Pidge!" he shouted.

"No he didn't, Lotor's generals did and before you say anything else, I would remind you that this was your plan so you don't see me blaming you. Lay off, Keith's had enough for this past week," Hunk said firmly.

Lance simmered down and he finally squeezed his eyes shut, "I know, I'm sorry. I—when I found out they were hurt, I was upset and my initial thought was to blame you but I'm sorry for yelling," Lance murmured.

"It's alright," Keith said, Hunk walked over and frowned at Keith well mostly at Keith's jaw, "You're hurt as well, you should get that checked out," Hunk said. Keith reached up to prod his wounds, he winced when pain flared up his jaw.

The adrenaline was wearing off and now it was started to burn and pulse. Hunk and Lance led him towards the medical room, they were almost out of the room but not before Keith hearing a comforting purr in the back of his head.

Keith glanced over his shoulder at the black lion, she let out another purr and this time, it put Keith's whole body at ease.

_It's okay_

Keith's eyes slipped close and another comforting purr before his body slumped forward and initially blacking out.

* * *

 

When Keith woke up, he was laying in the infirmary, his jaw ached and he could feel it was bandaged. With his fingers, he could confirm the sloppy job of bandaging his wounds was most definitely Lance.

Keith winced when he prodded at the bandage, he slowly sat up and looked around, he blinked away his blurry vision to see Coran facing away from him and running a test on Shiro's body. Coran looked over at him when Keith let out an accidental hiss, his claws were out and they also ached.

"You're awake," Coran said coming towards him immediately, Keith swallowed and nodded, he went to look away but stopped when Coran clicked his tongue and let Coran lift his chin and look at his eyes before nodding.

"You'll be fine, take it easy now, little paladin," Coran said, Keith nodded and finally looked away when Coran did, he side-eyed Coran as he walked back to Shiro's body and frowned at the holographic scans above the transparent blue shield over his body.

"Anything?" Keith asked daring to hope but taking in Coran's expression, Keith knew the answer.

"Keep your hopes up, we'll figure something out," Coran all but said when Keith laid back down, he sighed in relief when his head hit the soft pillow and his body molding into the soft bed.

Keith's vision blurred as he watched Coran getting up and dimming the lights around him before heading back towards Shiro.

The next thing Keith knew, he was not looking at Coran and Shiro, instead, he was standing in front of Black, her large mechanic body looming over his minuscule body. Keith narrowed his eyes at her stoic face, he took a step forward then another and another until he faces to face with one of her paws.

"I want to enter," Keith heard himself say.

Black's eyes glowed and she lowered her head and opened her mouth, Keith hesitated for a split before entering the darkened ramp, the lights didn't turn on as usual, so Keith walked slowly inside until he reached the cockpit.

Keith frowned when his vision got woozy, everything was a blur and Keith blinked hard to clear his head, but his vision stayed. It was odd, he didn't feel in pain or tired at all, so why was his vision blurry like this.

"Keith?"

Keith tensed up at the familiar voice, he swallowed roughly before slowly turning around. Like everything around him, Shiro was also blurry.

"You're here? Are you alright? You're hurt, who hurt you?" Shiro asked stepping forward and stopped when Keith made a confused sound and stepped back. Keith shook his head slowly and raised his hand cautiously in front of him, "You're not real," he whispered trying to keep the tremors off his voice.

Shiro smiled sadly, he tilted his head a bit, "I know, I know my body is with you, keep it safe, I need something to come back to when you find me," he said slowly as if trying hard not to scare Keith.

"H-How! How do I find you!" Keith demanded finally finding his voice, Shiro looked away and Keith's eyes widened as he saw Shiro took a step forward and his whole body becoming slowly clear.

Keith's eyes roamed Shiro's body, he wasn't exactly solid, he was transparent and thousands of tiny specks floated on his body like little stars, Keith snapped his eyes back to Shiro's, they were sad and glazed over.

"How do I find you?" Keith asked again but softer, Shiro sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I don't know, one minute I'm in the black lion and a second later—I'm not, I don't know Keith but you have to find a way, the longer I stay the harder it'll be for me to come back," Shiro said.

Keith's brows furrowed and he shook his head roughly, "That won't happen, I will find a way to bring you back but Shiro you must know something!  _Anything!_ "

Shiro acted as though he didn't hear Keith and stepped closer, a transparent hand raising up to cup Keith's jaw.

"Be careful, I want you in one piece when I come back," Shiro said. Keith made a helpless sound and stepped closer tilting his head up, so he could keep his eyes on Shiro, "Worry about yourself for once! You're the one missing from your body..." Keith trailed off.

Shiro let out breathy laugh and grazed his thumb under Keith's eyes, his fingers catching on the darkened bags, "I know but I still don't like seeing the ones I care about hurt," Shiro murmured leaning down so he could press his forehead against Keith, the touch was ice cold and not at all warm like Shiro used to be, it made Keith want to squirm away but he stood still and savored the moment.

"You're hurting me by not coming back," Keith murmured, he knew he sounded selfish and he knew Shiro had no control of the situation but it helped to let it out. Shiro snorted and he pulled away enough so he could kiss away the furrowed brows.

"I'm sorry," Shiro said pulling away but Keith quickly tried to latch onto Shiro's vest, he let out a helpless sound when his fingers went right through Shiro. "W-wait!" Keith called but Shiro was slowly backing up and disappearing, "Come back!" Keith called reaching for Shiro.

Keith stumbled forward and instead of hitting the floor, he found himself gasping loudly and sitting up from his spot on the bed. Panting Keith looked around, he was in his room and not in the cockpit or even in the infirmary.

Quickly, Keith reached up to feel his jaw, it was still bandaged but it was cleaner then last time, either Coran and Hunk fixed it. Swallowing roughly, Keith shoved off the blanket and climbed out of bed, he put on his socks and tucked on his boots, he ignored his jacket, belt, and gloves and headed out of his room.

Keith made his way towards the bridge and frowned when he saw everyone already there and making up a new plan.

"What're you guys doing?" Keith demanded, his eyes narrowing on the screen, the Castle was heading towards Olkari, it was not something they discussed on and Keith could feel the irritation bubble up inside of him.

"Oh, good you're awake, how are you feeling?" Allura said moving away from the pedestal and heading towards him, her hand was bandaged and she was limping but that didn't stop her from leading the ship.

"I'm fine but why are we heading towards Olkari?" Keith demanded, sidestepping away from her hands, Allura's jaw clenched and Keith ignored it and narrowed his eyes at Lance who raised his hands.

"It was  _my_ idea,"

Keith turned around to see Pidge glaring at the screen, she looked fine and Keith hoped she was fine as she looked.

"Why?" Keith asked, Pidge turned her eyes away from the screen and looked at Keith. "Cause I said so, we tried your plan and Lance's, we failed, many times may I add. Now we're doing it my way, which is to finding help with the allies we made.

Olkari is known for their technology and magic, I'm positive they might have something to help us find Shiro," Pidge said.

Keith shook his head, "We still have to take down Lotor!" Keith hissed. Pidge let out an annoyed sigh and licked her bottom lip in frustration, "Look, we can't keep chasing after Lotor. That purple bastard knows when we're going to attack all the time and Keith you have to admit; those generals are professional killers. We're three teenagers and two aliens who aren't professional killers. Heck Allura's been asleep most of the time and you can barely manage to hold down one general, let alone four and a vicious prince," Pidge said.

Keith wanted to argue but he knew Pidge was right, she was thinking with a clear head and Keith needed to learn how to control his temper and emotions.

"You're right, I'm sorry and Allura—I'm sorry as well, my intentions were never to put you two in harm," Keith said.

"It is alright Keith, we can understand, do not put too much blame on yourself. We are in a war, we are expected to be injured and put in difficult positions every mission," Allura said walking over to Keith and placing a comforting hand on his arm.

Keith glanced up at him and smiled, "I have been very difficult, haven't I?" Keith murmured feeling his cheeks heat up, Allura winked at him, "Just a bit but it is alright," she said.

Keith blew out a long breath and turned around, his eyes narrowed on the map, every tick they were getting closer to Olkari. They were a team, they were a family, _his_  family, they made decisions together from now on and forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! sorry for being so inactive, I had been planning a trip for myself for a while now. So I had been picking up hours at my work! *almost killed myself for working so hard*
> 
> but I took a week and a half trip to San Fran, Oh my god I loved it! It was so beautiful! Kind of expensive but I was expecting that. I'm glad I took that trip, I needed it, kind been under the weather lately so it helped with my depression :)  
> I feel like my everyday life was so tiring that I felt so drained.  
> work, school, home...repeat, so that week and a half really helped me :)  
> Thank you guys so much for being so patient with me! I honestly appreciate it! :) also sorry for such a late update, I'm going to try harder with my updates from now on :)
> 
> Love you guys so much!


	22. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY BITCH!  
> yeah I'm sorry for taking so long haha I honestly forgot about this story for like a month and a half and when I went to write it back again my computer messed up cause that laptop was old as shit and I literally lost all my files :\  
> BUT I HAVE RISEN FROM THE DEAD AND STARTED UP AGAIN HAHAH!!

The Olkarians were instantly on board after all the help Voltron has done for them. Ryner didn't even hesitate she had already gathered up her best doctors and within a few doboshes, they were on board The Castle of Lions examining Shiro along with a few Olkarions. Keith hovered as they observed him, his tail twitching nervously as he wrung his wrist together.

“Keith, they won’t find an answer no matter how much you hover,” Lance stated and yawned, he was forced to stay awake just in case Keith got too aggressive with the Olkarians, although Keith reassured they he wasn’t going to get aggressive.

“We can never be too careful,” Allura said not trusting Keith's emotional behavior.

It was insulting and hurtful to know Allura he could get physical with the Olkarions. Instead of arguing back, Keith agreed and let Lance take the first shift.

“Buddy, you sure you don’t wanna take a little nap?” Lance called, Keith ignored him and managed to find an empty spot near the pod. He placed a hand on the cold pod and gazed down at Shiro then up towards Ryner who was talking to one of the doctors in a hushed whisper.

Keith could hear them clearly but they were speaking in native tongue, so he had no clue on what they were saying. Tail twitching, Keith looked back down at Shiro, fingers curling against the pod.

“Did you find anything?” Keith demanded glaring up at Ryner who stopped talking and turned to him with a rather calm look. “I am very sorry red paladin but we’re still working hard to figure out why the black paladin isn’t responding to any of our methods,” she said softly.

Keith wanted to throw something, scream, wanted to wreak havoc but he stayed calm, wanting to prove to Allura that she was wrong about his anger issues. Closing his eyes, he exhaled slowly, when he opened his eyes again, he nodded stiffly.

“Save him, that’s all I ask of you,” Keith said firmly, Ryner nodded and she turned back to the doctor. Pulling away from the pod, Keith walked over to Lance and nodded to him, sighing in relief, Lance stood up and stretched his stiff muscles and popped his neck.

“Thank god, that floor was going to turn my ass so flat,” he said, Keith gave him a funny look and Lance waved him off, “You wouldn’t understand, you were graced with such a nice firm ass that I’m honestly jealous—don’t tell Hunk,”

“Is that good?” Keith asked walking out of the room, Lance snorted and leaned back to glare at Keith’s bottom, “Uh Yeah dude?! I would kill for an ass like that! Tell me, do you squat?”

“I do not follow,” Keith stated crossing his arms, Lance rolled his eyes and shrugged, “Never mind dude, alien’s must be naturally unflawed,” he muttered.

“I still do not understand, but I suggest that you get some sleep…and thank you for staying up with me, it means a lot,” Keith said, Lance flushed and he waved his hands, “Nah man it’s chill, don’t stress ‘bout it,” he muttered.

Keith managed a smile at Lance’s clear embarrassment, “Good night then Lance,” he said when they reached his door, Lance grinned and walked backwards toward his own room.

“Ya nighty night to you too my purple alien buddy!” Lance called, Keith rolled his eyes and entered his room with a sigh, tossing off his boots with a grunt, Keith decided to bathe in the morning when his head was clear, right now he was too stressed to even think.

Slumping in bed, Keith curled the covers over his body and squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring the pounding his head and the ache in his heart.

* * *

 

Ryner was still examing Shiro, the others had more  _political_ stuff at hands. Many of the leaders of the planets they rescued were coming over for a meeting, discussing what was the next step for Voltron.

“I do not understand the meaning of this!” Keith demanded, glaring at Allura who ignored him and brushed Pidge’s mane who grunted as her head was yanked back, “Um ow?” Pidge whined. Allura huffed and gathered a small bunch of hair in her hands and brushed through the thick knot.

“You need to take care of your hair more,” Allura scolded finally brushing through the knot and soothing Pidge’s hair, the girl herself had tears in her eyes but held firm. She pouted helplessly and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Hmph,”

“Princess, I’m talking to you,” Keith cried, Allura stilled and inhaled sharply before glaring up at him, “Keith I understand your confusion, but this is the best, Voltron needs as many allies and this will help build the coalition,” she said.

Keith blew the stray lock of hair that fell over his eyes as he huffed, crossing his arms stiffly. He frowned at Allura, the princess had just finished combing Pidge’s hair and turned back to Keith with an unimpressed frown.

“Keith, as much as you hate to hear it. You are now the new black paladin and the leader of Voltron, your presence is more important than mine.  _You_ have to ensure new hope to these peoples, they need your guidance and your calm words, something to keep them going and help them fight back against the Galra,” she said standing up, letting Pidge run away from the room before Allura could grab the sparkly ribbons.

“It should be Shiro doing the speech, not me,” Keith murmured, Allura gave him an understanding smile and walked over to him, “I wish he was here too but now it’s up to you, we trust you and will help for when you need it,” she said calmly.

“Why can’t you do the speech, you are the princess after all,” Keith stated, Allura copied his pose and crossed her own arms, “I am but as the  _Princess_ of Altea not the  _Leader_ of Voltron,” she said.

“Hmm,”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be great,” Allura said smiling patting his arm gently.

* * *

 

He wasn’t great, his speech was horrible. Lance had to hide his face from second-hand embarrassment. Pidge was trying her best not to crack but her red face and teary eyes gave it away, Hunk had to look away and cover his ears.

“Thank you, Keith for the  _wise_ words,” Allura said stiffly giving him a look, Keith quickly walked over to his seat—red-faced.

The leaders looked at him with wide eyes and disbelief faces, “D-did he say we could fail?” one of the leaders stated.

“Voltron is  _not_  going to fail, I promise you on that,” Allura said stiffly clapping her hands once, “Now, onto more important topics. Zarkon’s been defeated, we should worry on Haggar and Lotor and his generals, I suggest we go after Lotor—”

“—No, we go after Haggar, she’s the one who controls the empire now, Lotor may be the new emperor but you have to remember that it’s Haggar who controls everything even Lotor. Defeat the head and the rest will soon fall after,” Keith said firmly.

“Going after the witch is suicidal!”

“He’s trying to kill us all!”

“…He’s Galra after all…”

“That is enough,” Allura said loudly glaring at the leaders who averted their gazes, she sighed and looked over at Keith who was glaring at the table with his hands tightly crossed in front of him.

“The Black Paladin is right—going after the witch will help us in the long run,” Allura said, Keith twitched, and he glanced up at her, the doubt disappeared and his eyes softened. She cleared her throat, “If Voltron can defeat Zarkon then they can defeat the witch,” she said firmly.

“I agree, defeating Haggar may seem difficult but we hit the right targets, she’ll fall just like Zarkon,” Pidge said pushing up her glasses, her cheeks were still flushed from Keith’s awkward speech but with a wink towards Keith who relaxed even more.

“Yeah Keith may be Galra but he’s like a good guy—Galra guy, alien? Cat? He’s good that’s all I’m saying and you should trust him, I mean the black lion is letting him pilot him so he has to be trustworthy,” Lance said proudly.

“Ditto, he’s like a really good leader and without him, we don’t know would happen to the team,” Hunk said piping him.

The leaders nervously glanced between each other before turning back to the team with a tight smile, “We’ll go with the plan but I do not like the idea of sending my warriors on a suicidal mission,” the eldest one said.

“We are not attacking soon, first we need to find out her weakness and that’s why we have Voltron, on the meantime, you and your warriors build back your civilization and help other planets in need and if you ever need any help, Voltron  _will come_ ,” Allura said firmly.

* * *

 

Finding Haggar’s weakness was more difficult then they planned, after their fight with Zarkon. The Galra empire upped their security system, it was almost difficult to break into, and first and foremost, they didn’t know where to start.

“You know, I thought this would be like  _way_ easier,” Hunk asked wrinkling his nose and peeking over Pidge’s shoulder as she tried hacking into another Galra base. Pidge growled and used one hand to shove at Hunk’s chin to push him away.

“Yeah it would be easier if you didn’t breath behind my back like a bull,” she muttered. Hunk gasped like an old lady and glared at her, “Rude,” he muttered and sulked over to Lance who was fiddling with an old Altean puzzle that he found in the Castle.ltean

“I wish things were simpler like last time. Defeat Zarkon and save the universe now we gotta kill off his pyscho son and his weird ninja squad  _and_ his zombie hocus pocus wife,” Lance muttered finally giving up on the cube and tossing it to Hunk who took a turn at it, tongue sticking out and trying to crack open the cube with his bare hand.

“When has life ever been this easy,” Pidge muttered, “Where’s Keith anyway?” she asked a second later.

“Dunno, probably with Shiro or in the training deck,”

“I feel sorry for the fuzzy dude,” Hunk muttered pulling the cube away from his teeth, Lance shifted in his seat then spoke up, “I don’t know man, it’s like he doesn’t know when to give up. Don’t give me that look. I miss Shiro I really do but I guess I come to accept that he might not get better,” he said.

“You better not say that around Keith or he’ll end up knocking you out,” Pidge said from her desk, she glanced over and rolled her eyes at Hunk who gnawing on the cube to open.

Pidge held out her hand and Hunk dejectedly handed her the cube, she hummed and rubbed her pidge before pressing the two buttons in the front, running her fingers along the side of the cube, banging it on her desk then pressing the two buttons again.

There was a heavy pause and finally, the cube’s edges lit up and it chirped before popping open to reveal a metal dog looking figurine.

Pidge turned to Hunk and Lance and tossed over the cube, “that wasn't hard,”

* * *

 

The hand was still cold, probably getting colder. Keith looked over at Shiro’s vitals and frowned at his body temperature, “You’ll be okay, I know you will,” He said softly reaching up to brush Shiro’s hair, it was now rough and oily. Keith didn’t care, he continued brushing Shiro’s hair away from his forehead before leaning down to kiss his cheek.

Keith didn’t even flinch when the doors opened, revealing Ryner and Allura, the princess looked slightly troubled and Keith stood up slowly.

“What’s wrong?” Keith asked quickly when they got closer, “Is there bad news?”

“Not entirely,” Ryner said she glanced over at Allura then back at Keith, “We might have found a way to bring Shiro back,” she said.

Keith instantly perked up and he smiled, “How’s that bad! We found a way to bring Shiro back! H-how do we do it? Can we do it now?”

“Slow down paladin. The process is difficult and risky itself. Let me explain,” Ryner said walking over to stand beside Keith.

“Have you heard of the mythical land of Oriande?” She asked.

Confused Keith shook his head.

“Well, Oriande is a mythical land where Alteans go to harness alchemic powers, they going through a single trail and if they succeed the white lion of Oriande will grant them powers of pure quintessence. If they fail then they can never return get another chance to harness those powers,”

“Allura I’ve noticed has potential to become an alchemist and surprisingly only Alteans can enter the land and go through the trails. If she succeeds in winning the trail and harnessing the powers. There a positive chance that she can gather Shiro’s spirit from the black lion and transfer back into his body” Ryner said.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go to this mysterious land—”

“—The problem is, that we do not exactly know where the land is,” Ryner said quickly. Keith paused and he glared at both of them, “Does this land even exist?” he demanded.

“It does or well I hope it does,” Allura said stepping forward at Keith’s glare she added again, “Keith this land is like Ryner said,  _mythical_ ¸ my father used to tell me all about it and I assumed it was a children’s tale,”

Keith exhaled sharply, he wanted to scream at them both. Why even bother coming to him with false hope, why did they even try.

“How do we even start to look for this place?” Keith demanded, Ryner grinned and she grabbed a Tab that was sitting on the desk beside Shiro’s bed. “There’s rumored to be an item in Zarkon’s treasury hold, it could possibly lead us to the exact spot where the entrance to Oriande could be,”

Ryner handed the Tab over and Keith frowned at it, one of Zarkon’s main fleet, guarded heavily but there was a treasurer a room full of artifacts that Zarkon and Haggar collected over the years.

“Are you sure this is the best possible choice in reviving Shiro?” Keith asked looking up at them, they both nodded and Keith exhaled slowly.

“Fine, how do we do this?”

\----s

“So let me get this straight, you want us”—Lance said pointing wildly gesturing between the three of them, “-- To go sneak aboard a Galra ship to distract them just so Keith and Allura could sneak in and grab a magical rock that’ll take us to a magical island so it could give Allura magical powers just so she could  _magically wrap Shiro back into Shiro’s BODY!”_

“Precisely,” Coran said wiggling his mustache.

“How in the fuc—”

“—Quiznack!” Pidge interrupted glaring at Lance who flushed, the three aliens blinked curiously and tilted their head.

“Okay, okay, so how we gonna do this?” Hunk said rubbing his head, “like step by step cause if I don’t know this step by step! Ima mess up! You don’t want me messing up cause when I mess up,  _I mess up!_ ”

“We get it Hunk,” Pidge growled irritably she crossed her arms and stared at Coran who told them of their plan and ended it with an exaggerated spin and wild warms, “…and TA-da! You are done! Haha!” he said giggling.

“Just stick to the plan and everything will go smoothly,” Keith said cocking his hips with a smirk, “Besides we defeated Zarkon, how hard can it be to sneak in and grab something,” he said.

“That something is  _nothing_ cause technically none of us know exactly what it looks like!” Lance exclaimed.

“Relax, we’ll be fine, it seems simple enough,”

“Everything seems simple to you,” Hunk stated, Keith rolled his eyes and he flicked his tail. “We should be fine, besides it’s for Shiro,” he stated.

“You’d jump in a volcano for Shiro,” Lance muttered.

“I don’t know what a volcano is,” Keith stated.

“Of course, he doesn’t,” Hunk said to Pidge who grinned, “He didn’t deny it though,”

* * *

 

Keith grunted when he landed, he looked around slowly, his narrowing as he took in the large room before deeming it safe and holding his hands up, so he could help Allura down. Gently letting her down on her feet.

“We’re here, keep a lookout,” Keith said to Lance.

_“Aye’ aye’ captain,”_

“How are we going to find it?” Keith asked walking over to a shelf, he grimaced when he saw a pair of what looked like eyes in a foggy jar. Allura sighed softly behind him, “I am not entirely sure but Ryner said I should be able to feel it in my heart, whatever that means,” she murmured walking down, eyes roaming the shelves.

“I’ll look down this way, call me if you find anything interesting,” Keith said already heading down the room. Mostly what was kept here was ancient Galra weapons or metals, there wasn’t anything that seemed special or somewhat Altean here. Frowning Keith tilted his head and knelt down to look at the lower shelves.

Again nothing.

_“How much longer fuzzy,”_

“We haven’t found anything yet, how’s everything looking out there,” Keith asked, reaching between two jars and grabbed a small booklet the size of his palm, he flipped it open and found ancient Galra text, it sort of looked like a child’s toy as well.

 _“Clear as day, Pidge must’ve hacked the system really good if they haven’t found us yet,”_  Hunk said.

_“Don’t jinx us Hunk!”_

Keith closed the calls and put down the booklet and stood up slowly to check the shelves behind him, judging by Allura’s silence she hadn’t found anything either. Pursing his lips, Keith grabbed a rock that was split in half and covered in shiny gems, fingers grazing over the pointy gems, Keith put it back down and stood on his tiptoes to peek at the top shelf. Only for it be empty.

_“Anything?”_

“Don’t rush me Lance,” Keith threatened, the line was cut and Keith shook his head. He glanced over at Allura who was holding up a what looked like a necklace, Keith walked over and did his best not to startle her but she had already flinched and quickly hid the necklace behind her back.

“Find anything?” he asked.

Allura brought the necklace from behind her back and held it out, Keith didn’t touch it but he leaned in closer to look.

It was golden, a bit rusty and dusty but he could clearly see the engraved juniberry. Underneath was altean text that Keith couldn’t read and he looked up at Allura who brought the necklace closer to her.

“It’s altean,” Keith stated.

“Not just…it was my mother’s, it was a gift from my father on their marriage anniversary. I—I suppose when Altea fell, Haggar came in took what she could find as a prize for their win,” she murmured.

“Disgusting, I can’t…how can someone be so cruel and vile?” Allura whispered the necklace grasped tightly, she swayed forward and slumped her forehead against Keith’s shoulder.

“They took a life—so many lives so easily without thinking, they destroyed so many families and tortured many more,” she whispered.

Keith awkwardly patted her shoulder and placed a hand on her back. He was never good at comforting, Allura seemed to notice and she let out a wet laugh before pulling away. “You’re not really good at this are you?” she said voicing Keith’s thought.

“Sorry,” Keith murmured, “But I will promise you that we will take down Haggar and Lotor, defeat the Galra and bring peace, I swear to you,” he said firmly.

Allura smiled up at him and wiped away her tears with a finger, “It means a lot that you say that Keith,” she said then flushed bright red and pulled away quickly.

“I uh also when I mean Galra I mean those Galra’s not you and the Blade of Marmora,” she said laughing nervously and cleared her throat.

“So uh the magical object~ did you find anything?” she asked.

“Nothing yet, it’s mostly just old Galra items here,” Keith said crossing his arms, “I don’t think it’s here,” he said frowning. “We can’t give up yet,” Allura said moving past him to the other side of the room, Keith followed her and shook his head.

“I already checked here,” he said, Allura ignored him and looked around, pushing past items and opened up boxes to make sure there was nothing there. Allura moved back stumped and let out a frustrated sigh, “I don’t understand, Ryner was sure it was here,” she murmured.

“Maybe it doesn’t exist, maybe it is just a children’s folktale,” Keith said, he hated to admit it, this was their only hope to save Shiro and he hated that Allura and Ryner gave him such false hope but the harsh reality was that there was no magical object and magical land.

“We should head back,” Keith said, Allura nodded and followed Keith towards the entrance. As they passed the shelves and towards the entrance where they came from. Allura glanced over at a broken box, her gut clenched when she saw it. Slowing down, Allura walked over to it and picked it up.

She tried to open it but it was locked but there was no key, frowning she turned the chest around but there was no other opening or indication on how to open it.

“Did you find it?” Keith asked quickly walking over. Allura clicked her tongue and shrugged, “I’m not entirely sure, but for some reason, this box is calling to me and I can’t seem to get it open,” she said.

Keith reached for the box and it snapped it open at his touch making them both jump and curse, inside was a heavy rock with two thick lines going that glowed a bright familiar blue color.

“Is it…” Keith asked trailing off, Allura hesitantly picked up the rock, it was heavy but surprisingly warm. “I think it is,” she breathed then softly laughed, “It has to be! This aside from my mother’s necklace is the only thing Altean here! It must be!”

“Let’s get out of here now, don’t want to stay here any longer then we have to,” Keith said grabbing Allura by the waist and heaving her up, she quickly climbed up and reached down a hand for Keith to grab, which he did and with Allura’s help they climbed out of the room.

“Lance start up the lion’s, we found it,” Keith said crawling through the vents, they reached where Hunk was keeping guard and climbed out.

 _“Found it?”_  Hunk asked, “Yes, now we just gotta get out of here,” Allura said.

_“Lancey Lance is here!”_

Keith rolled his eyes and headed towards the vent where they entered from, after helping Hunk and Allura first, he jumped in the lion’s mouth last and sighed in relief when it clamped shut after him.

Jostling him a little as Red flew off towards where Coran was hiding, Pidge tagging along soon with her own lion.

* * *

 

“Should we like um? Go after them?” Ezor asked pouting, Lotor shook his head, “That won’t be necessary, after all, they are going to show us the way to Oriande,” he said smirking eyeing the screen, eyes trained on his favorite little paladin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know, there are so many grammar mistakes and I did my best to edit it. Probably once this whole book is finished, I'll go back and really edit it :3c

**Author's Note:**

> Right...I'm not good in sex scenes, like legit I'm a virgin *I kid you not, I haven't even kissed a boy-girl whatever. I'm 22 by the way ;)* so my sex scenes are pretty shit and I even looked up on google (how to write good sex scenes) didn't help much but it's whatever.  
> First scene is legit all sex and I'm sorry, The second one will be better!  
> Anyways, I finally finished the first chapter and currently working on the third one while editing the second chapter. :D
> 
> PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE! leave kudos, comment, put it in your bookmarks! Just tell me how you much you love or like my fic! Share it on tumblr even! I just need to know if people actually like this.


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